THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

BEQUEST 
OF 


Mrs.  Marian  Hooker 


;  - ; 

I  A, 


THE    SAINTS    IN   ART 


** 


ST.    CHRISTOl'HER,    ST.    JEROME   AND    ST.    AUGUSTINE 
From  the  painting  by  Giovanni  Bellini,  ui  tJw  Church  of  St.  Chrysostom,  Venue 


THE  SAINTS  IN  ART 


WITH  THEIR  ATTRIBUTES  AND  SYMBOLS 
ALPHABETICALLY  ARRANGED 

BY 

MARGARET    E.   TABOR 


WITH  TWENTY  ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW   YORK 

FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


5225M>2 


LOAN   STACK 

GIFT 


H3o%o 


INTRODUCTION 

r~pHIS  little  book  is  intended  to  meet  the 
'  demand  of  the  ever  -  increasing  number 
of  visitors  to  churches  and  picture  galleries, 
at  home  and  abroad,  who,  with  little  know- 
ledge of  Christian  hagiology,  or  the  eccles- 
iastical history  of  the  Middle  Ages,  wish  to 
know  more  of  the  subjects  represented  in  the 
works  of  art  they  see  than  is  given  in  ordi- 
nary catalogues  and  guide-books.  Many  of 
the  incidents  frequently  depicted,  and  many 
of  the  attributes  given  to  the  saints,  are,  for 
want  of  knowledge  of  the  legends  to  which 
reference  is  made,  to  some  extent  unintel- 
ligible. From  the  point  of  view  of  art  this 
may  be  unimportant,  but  it  is  reasonable  to 
suppose  that,  for  just  appreciation  of  a  work 
of  art,  it  is  better  to  know  something  of  the 
subject  that  the  artist  portrays  ;  and  for  those 
people  who  look  at  pictures  chiefly  as  illus- 


-     968 


vi  THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

tration  the  lack  of  such  knowledge  must  be 
a  serious  drawback. 

No  pretension  is  made  to  any  original 
research.  The  excellent  works  of  Mrs 
Jameson  and  Lord  Lindsay  are  well  known, 
and  of  the  greatest  value.  But  for  the  ordi- 
nary tourist,  Mrs  Jameson's  four  large  volumes 
("  Sacred  and  Legendary  Art,"  in  two  volumes ; 
"  Legends  of  the  Madonna";  "  and  Legends  of 
the  Monastic  Orders  ")  are  impossible,  though 
much  to  be  desired,  as  travelling  companions. 
This  is  an  attempt  to  provide  an  epitome  of 
these,  and  other  books  of  the  kind,  in  a  port- 
able shape.  The  process  of  eliminating  from 
the  legends  all  but  what  is  necessary  for  the 
better  understanding  of  their  representation 
in  works  of  art  has  left  in  many  instances 
rather  a  bald  and  inconsequent  account,  and 
should  there  appear  to  be  any  lack  of  sym- 
pathy or  reverence  in  the  treatment  of  sacred 
subjects,  the  need  for  extreme  brevity  must 
be  the  excuse.  Biblical  characters  are  only 
included  in  so  far  as  they  are  the  subjects  of 
traditions  or  legends  beyond  the  Bible  nar- 
rative, and  well-known  historical  personages, 


INTRODUCTION  vii 

about  whom  information  is  easily  available, 
are  very  shortly  treated.  Since  the  object  is 
to  understand  the  traditions  as  they  presented 
themselves  to  the  minds  of  the  artists,  the 
border  line  between  history  and  fiction  has 
been  almost  entirely  ignored,  and  obvious 
chronological  errors,  and  confusion  between 
saints  of  the  same  name,  have  been  allowed 
to  pass  unchallenged.  The  date  of  the  feast 
of  the  saint  has  been  given  in  each  case,  and 
where  representations  of  a  saint  are  specially 
famous,  the  name  of  the  artist,  and  the  church 
or  gallery  where  the  picture,  fresco,  or  statue 
is  to  be  seen,  are  mentioned. 

M.  E.  T. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Adelaide,  St.  (of  Bergamo)  i 

Adrian,  St.  (Patron  Saint  of  Soldiers)  .  .  I 

Afra  and  Julia,  SS.  (Patron  Saints  of  Brescia)  .  2 

Agatha,  St.      .  .  .  .  .  .2 

Agnes,  St.  (Span.  Inez)  ....  4 

Alban,  St.        .  .  .  .  .  .5 

Albert,    St.    (Bishop   of  Vercelli,    and    Patriarch  of 

Jerusalem  .....  5 

Albertus  Magnus,  St.  .  .  .  .6 

Alexander,  St.  (of  Bergamo)  ....  6 

Alexis,  St.  (Lat.  S.  Alexius ;  Ital.  Sant5  Alessio)       .  6 

Ambrose,  St   (Ital.  Sant'  Ambrogio).     (Patron  Saint 

of  Milan).  .....  8 

Andrew,  St.  (Biblical,  Patron  Saint  of  Russia  and 

Scotland  ......         10 

Angelus  the  Carmelite,  St.      .  .  .  .10 

Anne,  St.  (the  mother  of  the  Virgin)  .   •  .  .         11 

Ansano,  St.     .  .  .  .  .  .11 

Anselm,  St.     .  .  .  .  .  .11 

Anthony,  St.  (the  Hermit).     (St.  Paul)  .  .11 

Antoninus,  St.  (of  Florence)  .  .  .  .14 

Antony,  St.  (of  Padua)  .  .  .  .15 


x  THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Apollinaris,  St. 

Apollonia,  St.  (Fr.  Ste.  Apolline) 

Apollonius,  St.  ... 

Apostles,  the  Twelve  (Biblical) 

Aquinas,  St.  Thomas  . 

Archangels       ..... 

Athanasius,  St.  ...  . 

Augustine,  St.  (the  greatest  of  the  Latin  Fathers) 

Augustine,  St.  (of  Canterbury) 

Barbara,  St.  (Patroness  of  Armourers  and  Fortifica 

tions)        .  .  .  , 

Barnabas,  St.  (Biblical) 
Bartholomew,  St.  (Biblical)     . 
Basil,  St.  (the  Greek  Father)  . 
Bavon,  St.  (Flem.  St.  Baf)      . 
Benedict,  St.   (Ital.   San  Benedetto ;  Fr.  St.  Benoit 

Span.  San  Benito) 
Benedict  (or  Bennet  Biscop),  St. 
Bernard,  St.  (of  Clairvaux) 

Bernardino,  St.  (of  Siena,  Founder  of  the  Observants) 
Bernardo  Dei  Tolomei,  St.      . 
Blaise,  St.  (Ital.  San  Biagio)  . 
Bonaventura,  St.  ("The  Seraphic  Doctor")  . 
Boniface,  St.  (Primate  of  Germany)    . 
Bridget,  St.  (of  Sweden) 

Bruno,  St.  (Founder  of  the  Carthusian  Order) 
Catherine,  St.   (Patroness  of  Philosophy,  Learning, 

Schools,  and  Colleges)     . 
Catherine,  St.  (of  Siena) 
Cecilia,  St.  (Patroness  of  Music) 


CONTENTS 

XI 

PAGE 

Charles  Borromeo,  St.              .                          . 

45 

Christina,  St.  (Patroness  of  Bolsena,  her  traditional 

birthplace)             .... 

.     46 

Christopher,  St.           . 

47 

Chrysostom,  St.  John 

49 

Clara,  St.  (Ital.  Santa  Chiara) 

5o 

Clement,  St.    . 

52 

Clotilda,  St.     . 

53 

Constantine,  Emperor 

53 

Constan tius,  St.  (Ital.  San  Constanzo) 

53 

Cosmo  and   Damian,    SS.    (Patrons  of  the    Medic 

i 

Family  and  of  Doctors)    . 

54 

Crispian,  St.,  and  Crispianus,  St. 

55 

Cross,  St.,  or  Holy  Cross  (Ital.  Santa  Croce) 

55 

Cunegunda,  St.            .             ... 

55 

Cuthbert,  St.    . 

55 

Cyprian,  St.  (Bishop  of  Carthage) 

56 

Cyprian,  St.  (the  Magician  of  Antioch) 

56 

Cyril,  St.  (of  Alexandria)                     > 

57 

Damian,  St.     . 

57 

Denis,  St.   (of  France).     Dionysius,   St.   (the  Areo 

pagite).     (Ital.  San  Dionisio  or  Dionigi) 

57 

Diego,  San  (d'Alcala).     (S.  Didacus  or  Didace) 

59 

Dominic,  St.  (Ital.   San  Domenico ;  Span.  San  Do- 

mingo      ...... 

59 

Donatus,  St.  (of  Arezzo)          .... 

61 

Dorothea,  St.  . 

62 

Dunstan,  St.   . 

63 

Edmund,  St.  (King  and  Martyr) 

63 

Edward  the  Confessor,  St.      . 

64 

Xll 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 


Elizabeth,  St.  (mother  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  Biblical, 

65 

Elizabeth,  St.  (of  Hungary) 

65 

Eloy,  St.  or  St.  Loo   (Lat.  S.  Eligius :  Ital.  Sant 

Aloor  L6  or  Eligio)  (Patron  of  Goldsmiths,  Black- 

smiths, and  Workers  in  metal) 

67 

Ephrem,  St.  (of  Edessa)          . 

67 

Erasmus,  St.     (Ital.  Sant'  Elmo  or  Erasmo ;  Span  . 

Sant  Ermo  or  Eramo  ;  Fr.  St.  Elme) 

68 

Ercolano,  St.  (Bishop  of  Perugia  about  546)  . 

69 

Etheldreda,  St.            .... 

69 

Eulalia,  St.  (A  Spanish  virgin  martyr) 

69 

Euphemia,  St.              . 

70 

Eustace,  St.     . 

7i 

Evangelists  (Biblical)  .... 

72 

Faustinus  and  Jovita,  SS. 

73 

Felicitas,  St.    . 

73 

Felix,  St.  (of  Cantalicio).       (Ital.  San  Felice),  (tht 

first  saint  of  the  Order  of  Capuchins) 

74 

Ferdinand  of  Castile,  St. 

74 

Fina,  St.          .             .             . 

75 

Flavia,  St.       ..... 

76 

Florian,  St.      . 

76 

Francesca  Romana,  St. 

76 

Francis,  St.  (of  Assisi).     (Ital.  Francesco)     . 

77 

Francis  Borgia              .... 

So 

Francis  de  Paula,  St.  . 

80 

Francis  Xavier,  St.      . 

81 

Frediano,  St.  (of  Lucca) 

82 

Gabriel,  St.  (the  Archangel,  primarily  the  messenger 

) 

angel        ..... 

82 

CONTENTS 


Xlll 


Geminianus,  St.  (Bishop  of  Modena  about  450,  i 

UK 

Patron  Saint  of  that  city)     . 

82 

Genevieve,  St.  (of  Paris).     (Ital.  S.  Genoveva) 

83 

George,    St.    (of   Cappadocia).       (Patron    Saint 

0 

f 

England)      ..... 

84 

Gereon,  St.      . 

86 

Gervasius  and  Protasius,  SS.   . 

86 

Giles,    St.  (Lat.    Egidius ;    Ital.  Egidio ;  Fi 

\  Gflles 

or  Gil) 

S7 

Giobbe,  San    .... 

88 

Giovanni  et  Paolo,  SS. 

88 

Giovanni  Colombini,  St. 

88 

Grata,  St.        . 

89 

Gregory,  St.     . 

89 

Gregory  Nazianzen,  St. 

9i 

Gudula,  St.      . 

92 

Helena,  St.      . 

92 

Henry,  St.  (of  Bavaria) 

94 

Hermengild,  St, 

94 

Hilarion,  St.    . 

95 

Hilary,  St.       . 

95 

Hilda,  St 

95 

Hippolytus,  St.  (Ital.  Sant'  Ippolito) 

.        96 

Hubert,  St.  (Patron  of  the  Chase,  and  of  Do£ 

P) 

.         96 

Hugo,  St.  (Bishop  of  Grenoble) 

97 

Humilitas,  St.              ... 

97 

Hyacinth,  St.               ... 

97 

Ignatius  Loyola,  St.  (the  Founder  of  the  Jesuits) 

.        98 

Ignatius  Theophorus,  St.   (Bishop  of  Antioch  in 

til 

time  of  Trajan) 

99 

xiv         THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

PAGE 

Ildefonso   (or  Alphonso),    St.    (the  Patron  Saint  of 

Toledo)       .  .....         99 

Isidore,  St.     .  .  .  .  .  .        ioo 

Isidore,    St.       (Ital    Sant'   Isidoro   Agricola ;  Span. 

San  Isidro  el  Labrador)  (the  Patron  Saint  of  Madrid)  ioo 
James,  St.  (The  Great).      (Biblical.)     (Fr.  St.  Jacques 

Majeur  ;  Ital.  San  Giacomo,  or  Jacopo,  Maggiore  ; 

Span.  San  Jago,  or  Santiago)  .  .  .       101 

James,  St.  (the  Less).   (Biblical.)   (Ital.  San  Giacomo, 

or  Jacopo  Minore  ;  Fr.  St.  Jacques  Mineur)  .        103 

Januarius,  St.  (Ital.  San  Gennaro  ;  Fr.  St.  Janvier)  104 
Jerome,    St.    (Lat.    Hieronymus ;    Ital.    Girolamo) 

(Patron  Saint  of  Scholars)  .  .  .104 

Joachim,  St.  (father  of  the  Virgin)     .  .  .       106 

Job,  St.  (Ital.    San  Giobbe).     (Biblical.)    (Patron 

Saint  of  Hospitals,  and  protector  against  leprosy, 

at  Venice)  .  .....       107 

John    the    Baptist,    St.    (Ital.    Giovanni    Battista.) 

(Biblical)     ......       107 

John,  St.  (Capistrano)  ....        108 

John  the  Evangelist,  St.  (Ital.  San  Giovanni ;  Ger. 

Johann).     (Biblical)  .  .  .  .108 

John    Gualberto,    St.    (Founder    of   the   Order  of 

Vallombrosa)  .  .  .  .  .110 

John  de  Matha,  St.  (Founder  of  the  Trinitarians)      .       112 
John  Nepomuck,  St.  (Ital.  San  Giovanni  Nepomuceno)     113 
Joseph,  St.      .  .  .  .  .  .114 

Juan  de  Dios,  St.  (Founder  of  the  Hospitallers,  or 

Brothers  of  Charity)  .  .  .  .114 

Jude,  St.  .  .  .  .  .  "5 


CONTENTS  xv 

PAGE 

Julia,  St.  (of  Brescia) .  .  .  .  .115 

Julia,  St.  (of  Cilicia)  (the  Patron  Saint  of  Rimini)  .  115 
Julian   Hospitator,  St.    (Patron  Saint   of  Travellers, 

Boatmen,  Ferrymen,  and  Wandering  Minstrels)     .       116 
Justa  and  Rufina,  SS.  .  .  .  .117 

Justina,  St.  (of  Antioch)  .  .  .  .118 

Justina,  St.  (of  Padua)  .  .  .  .118 

Lambert,  St.  (Bishop  of  Maestricht)  .  .119 

Lawrence,  St.  (Ital.  San  Lorenzo;  Fr.  St.  Laurent)       119 
Lazarus,  St.  (Biblical)  .  .  .  .121 

Leander  and  Isidore,  SS.        .  .  ...       122 

Leocadia,  St.  (Patron  Saint  of  Toledo)  .  .122 

Leonard,  St.    (of  Aquitaine).     (Fr.   St.    Leonard  or 

Lionart.)    (Patron  Saint  of  Prisoners  and  Slaves)  .       123 
Longinus,  St.  (Patron  Saint  of  Mantua)  .  '124 

Lorenzo  Giustiniani,  St.  .  .  .  .125 

Louis  Beltran,  St.  (or  Bertran)  .  .  .       125 

Louis,  St.  (of  France).     (Ital.  San  Luigi)       .  .       125 

Louis,  St.  (of  Toulouse).     (Ital.  San  Ludovico)         .       126 
Lucy,  St.  (Ital.  Lucia ;  Fr.  Luce)       .  .  .127 

Luke,  St.  (Biblical)     .  .  .  .  .       129 

Lupo,  St.         .....  .       129 

Magi  (the  Wise  Men  of  the  Three  Kings).    (Biblical)       129 
Marcella  (or  Martilla),  St.       .  .  .  .130 

Margaret,  St.  .  .  .  .  .  .131 

Mark,  St.  (Biblical).     (Ital.  San  Marco)        .  .132 

Martha,   St.    (Biblical).      (Patroness  of  Cooks   and 

Housewives)  .  .  .  .  .134 

Martin,  St.  (of  Tours)  .  ,  .  134 

Martinian,  St.  (Centurion  at  the  Mamertine  Prison)       136 


xvi         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

PAGE 

Mary    of    Egypt,    St.    (Fr.    La    Gipesienne ;     La 

Jussienne)    .  .  .  .  .  .136 

Mary    Magdalene,    St.    (Biblical).     (Patroness    of 

Marseilles,  and  of  Penitent  Women)  .  .137 

Mary  the  Virgin,  St.  (Biblical)  .  .  139 

Matthew,  St.  (Biblical)  .  .  .  .145 

Mattias,  St.  (Biblical).     (Ital.  San  Mattia)     .  .       145 

Maurice,    St.    (Ital.    Maurlzio.)     (Patron   Saint   of 

Foot-soldiers,  and  of  Savoy) 
Maurus,  St.    . 

Maximin,  St.  .... 

Michael,  St.  (the  Archangel).     (Ital.  San  Michele  or 

Sammichele)  .... 

Miniato,  St.  . 
Monica,  St.  . 
Natalia,  St.     . 

Nazarius  and  Celsus,  SS.  (two  martyrs  of  Milan) 
Nicholas,  St.  (of  Myra) 
Nicholas,  St.  (of  Tolentino)    . 
Nilus,  St.  (of  Grotta  Ferrata) 

Norbert,  St.  (the  Founder  of  the  Premonstratensians) 
Omobuono,  St.  (Patron  Saint  of  Tailors) 
Onophrius,  St.  (Ital.  Onofrio  or  Honofrio)     . 
Ottilia,  St. 

Pantaleon,  St.  (Patron  of  Physicians) 
Paul,  St.  (Biblical)      .... 
Paul,  St.  (the  Hermit) 
Peter,    St.    (Biblical).      (Ital.  San  Pietro  or  Piero 

Fr.  St.  Pierre  ;  Span.  San  Pedro)  . 
Peter,  St.  (of  Alcantara) 


CONTENTS 


xvi  1 


Peter  Exorcista  and  Marcellinus,  SS. 

Peter  Martyr,  St.  (Ital.  San  Pietro  (Piero)  Martire 

Fr.  St.  Pierre  le  Dominican) 
Peter  Nolasco,  St.     . 
Petronilla,  St.  ... 

Petronius,  St.  (Bishop  and  Patron  Saint  of  Bologna 
Philip,  St.  (Ital.  Filippo).     (Biblical) 
Philip  Benozzi,  St.    . 

Philip  Neri,  St.  ...  . 

Phocas,  St.  (Ital.  San  Foca)  . 
Placidus,  St.  . 

Praxedes  and  Pudentiana,  SS. 
Prisca,  St.      . 
Processus,   St.    (the   Centurion  at   the    Mamertin 

Prison)       ..... 
Procopius,  St.  ...  . 

Proculus,  St.  (the  Military  Patron  of  Bologna) 
Pudentiana,  St.         .  . 

Ranieri,  St.     (Fr.  St.  Regnier.)     (The  Patron  Saint 

of  Pisa)      ..... 
Raphael,  St.  (the  Archangel) 
Raymond,  St.  (de  Penaforte) 
Raymond  Nonnatus,  St.  (Span.  San  Ramon) 
Regulus  and  Frediano,  SS.  (Patrons  of  Lucca) 
Reparata,  St.  .... 

Roch,    St.    (Ital.   San    Rocca.)     (Protector   against 

sickness  and  plague) 
Romain,  St.  . 
Romualdus,  St.  . 

Romulus,  St.  (First  Bishop  of  Fiesole) 
b 


PAGE 
162 


162 

163 
I64 
I64 
I65 
I65 

165 
166 
166 
l67 
I67 

168 
168 
168 
168 

l69 
I69 
I70 
171 
171 
172 

172 

174 
174 
175 


xviii       THE   SAINTS    IN   ART 

Rosa,  St.  (of  Viterbo) 

Rosalia,  St.  (of  Palermo) 

Rufina,  St.      . 

Sabina,  St. 

Scholastica,  St.  ...  . 

Sebald,  St.      . 

Sebastian,  St.    (Protector  against  Plague  or  Pestil 

ence)         ..... 

Secundus,  St.  .... 

Sibyls  ...... 

Simon  Stylites,  St.      . 

Simon  Zelotes  and  Jude,  SS.    (Thaddeus  or  Lebbeus) 
(Biblical)  .... 

Sixtus,  St.        . 

Sophia,  St.  (or  Heavenly  Wisdom)     . 

Stephen,    St.   (Biblical).     Deacon  and  Protomartyr) 

Sylvester,  St.  (Pope)  .... 

Thecla,  St.  (Apocryphal  N.  T.) 

Theodore,  St.  . 

Theresa,  St.    . 

Thomas,  St.  (Biblical).     (Span.  San  Tome)  . 

Thomas  Aquinas,  St.  ... 

Thomas  de  Villanueva,  St.      . 
Tobit  and  Tobias         .  . 

Torpe,  St.  (or  Torpet) 
Tryphonius,  St.  ... 

Urban,  St.       . 

Ursula,  St.   (Patroness  of  Girls  and  the  Teachers  of 

Girls) 

Veronica,  St.  . 


CONTENTS  xix 

PAGE 

Victor,  St.  .  .  .  .  .193 

Vincent,  St.  (a  famous  Patron  Saint  in    Spain  and 

France)     .  .  .  .  .       194 

Vincent,  St.  Ferraris  .....       195 

Vincent  de  Paule,  St.  ....       195 

Vitalis,  St.       .  .  .  .  .  .196 

Vitus,  St.  (Patron  Saint  of  Dancers  and  Actors)        .       197 
Wise  Men  (Magi)        .....       198 

Walburga,  St.  (Walpurgis,  Valpurge,  or  Gualbourg) .       198 
Zacharias,  St.  (Biblical)  .  .  .  .198 

Zeno,  St.  .  .  .  .  .       199 

Zenobio,  St.     .  .  .  .  .  .199 


Index 


201 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


St.   Christopher,   St.    Jerome,  and   St.  Augus- 
tine    .  ....    Frontispiece 

From  the  painting  by  Giovanni  Bellini  in  the 
Church  of  St.  Chrysostom,  Venice.  (Photo. 
Anderson,  Rome) 

FACING   PAGE 

Virgin  and  Child,  with  SS.  Antony  and  Barbara         12 

From  the  painting  by  Bernardino  Luini  in  the 
Brera,  Milan 

St.  Bartholomew  .  .  .  24 

From  an  engraving  by  Albrecht  Diirer  in  the 
British  Museum 

A  Canon  with  St.  Bernardino,  St.  Donatian,  and 

St.  Martin  .....         30 

From  the  painting  by  Gheeraert  David  at  the 
National  Gallery 

St.  Catherine  of  Siena      .... 

From  the  painting  by  Sano  di  Pietro  at  Siena. 
(Photo.  Lombardi,  Siena) 

St.  Cecilia,  with   SS.  Agatha,  Agnes,  Barbara 
and  Lucy  .....        44 

From   the   painting   by  A.   Bonvicino  (known   as 
II  Moretto  da  Brescia)  in  the  Church  of  St. 
Clement,  Brescia.    (Photo.  Alinari,  Florence) 
xxi 


XX11 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 


FACING   PAGE 

St.  Christopher     .  .  .  .  .48 

From  the  painting  by  Dierick  Bouts  at  Munich 
(Photo.  Hanfstaengl  Munich) 

St.  Dominic  .  .  .  .  .60 

From  the  painting  by  Giovanni  Bellini  in  the 
National  Gallery 

St.  Francis  preaching  to  the  Birds         .  .        78 

From  the  fresco  by  Giotto  di  Bordone  in  the  Upper 
Church  at  Assisi.    (Photo.  Alinari,  Florence) 

St.  George  and  the  Dragon         .  .  .84 

From  the  painting  by  Carpaccio  in  the  Church  of 
San  Giorgio  degli  Schiavoni,  Venice.  (Photo. 
Anderson,  Rome) 

St.  Jerome  .  .  .  .  .       104 

From  an  engraving  (1514)  by  Albrecht  Diirer  in 
the  British  Museum 

St.  John  the  Baptist,  with  SS.  Francis,  Lawrence, 
Cosmo,  Damian,  Anthony,  and  Peter 
Martyr  .  .  .  .  .108 

From  the  painting  by  Fra  Filippo  Lippi  in  the 
National  Gallery 

Madonna  and  Child  with  SS.  John  the  Evan- 
gelist, Catherine,  Lucy,  and  Jerome    .  .110 

From  the  painting  by  Giov.  Ant.  Bazzi  (known  as 
Sodoma)  in  the  Pinacoteca  at  Turin.  (Photo. 
Alinari,  Florence) 

The  Crucifixion,  with  St.  Mark  and  the  other 

Saints    .  .  .  .  .  132 

From  the  painting  by  Fra  Beato  Angelico  in  the 
Museum  of  St.  Mark,  Florence.  (Photo. 
Anderson,  Rome) 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS     xxiii 

FACING  PAGE 

Madonna  and  Child,  with  SS.  Mary  Magdalene, 
John  the  Baptist,  Francis,  Catherine, 
Cosmo,  and  Damian     .  .  .  .138 

From  the  painting  by  Botticelli  in  the  Pitti  Palace, 
Florence 

St.  Michael  and  the  Dragon       .  .  .147 

From  the  painting  by  Piero  della  Francesca  in  the 
National  Gallery 

"  Madonna  Ansidei " — Virgin  and  Child,  with 
SS.  John  the  Baptist,  and  Nicholas  of  Bari   .       150 

From  the  painting  by  Raphael  in  the  National 
Gallery.    (Photo.  Hanfstaengl) 

St.  Peter  Martyr  .  .  .  .  .162 

From  the  painting  by  Fra  Beato  Angelico  in  the 
Museum  of  St.  Mark,  Florence 

St.  Raphael  and  Tobias  .  .  .  .169 

From  a  painting  (Tuscan  School)  in  the  National 
Gallery 

St.  Ursula  and  her  Maidens        .  .  .       190 

From  the  painting  by  Carpaccio  in  the  Academy, 
Venice.     (Photo.  Naya,  Venice) 


INDEX  OF  SYMBOLS  AND 
ATTRIBUTES 

Anchor. — Symbol  of  hope.     See  St.  Clement. 

Anvil. — See  St.  Adrian. 

Apple. — Emblem  of  the  Fall,  in  the  hand  of  Infant 

Christ  signifies   Redemption  from  consequences 

of  the  Fall. 
Arrow. — Symbol  of  pestilence.     Also   instrument  of 

martyrdom.     See  SS.  Sebastian,  Ursula,  Chris- 
tina, and  others. 
Asperges. — Brush    used   for    sprinkling   holy   water. 

See  St.  Benedict. 
Axe. — See  SS.  Matthias,  Peter  Martyr,  Proculus. 
Bag  or  Purse. — See  SS.  Matthew,  Lawrence. 
Balance  to  weigh  souls. — See  St.  Michael. 
Balls,  Three. — See  St.  Nicholas. 
Banner. — Symbol  of  victory,  especially  spiritual  victory. 

See   SS.   George,   Julian,   Maurice,   Ursula  and 

others. 
Beehive. — See  St.  Ambrose. 
Bell. — To  exorcise  demons.     See   St.  Anthony,   the 

Hermit 


xxvi       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Book.— Attribute  of  writers.     See  SS.  Paul,  Augustine 

and  others. 
Book. — Emblem  of  learning.     See  St.  Catherine. 
Box  of  Ointment. — See  St.  Mary  Magdalene. 
Box. — See  SS.  Cosmo  and  Damian,  St.  Raphael. 
Breast.— See  St.  Agatha. 
Bull.— See  St.  Sylvester 

Cauldron. — See  SS.  John  the  Evangelist,  Vitus. 
Chains. — See  St.  Leonard. 
Child.— Christ  Child.     See  SS.   Anthony  of  Padua, 

Christopher. 
Church  Model  carried.— See  St.  Jerome.     Generally 

denotes  the  founder.     See  St.  Henry,  Petronius 

and  many  others. 
Circle  or  Ring. — Ancient  symbol  of  Eternity. 
Cloak. — See  SS.  Martin,  Raymond. 
Club  or  Fuller's  Bar. — See  SS.  James  the  Less,  Jude. 
Comb  or  Rake  for  wool. — See  St.  Blaise. 
Cross. — Symbol   of  Atonement  of   Christ,   hence   of 

Christian  Faith.     See  SS.  John  the  Baptist,  Philip, 

Margaret,  Helena. 
Crow  or  Raven.— See  SS.  Anthony,  Vincent. 
Crown. — Symbol  of  victory.     See  Martyr  Saints. 
Crown. — Attribute  of  royalty.     See  Royal  Saints. 
Crown   of  Thorns. — See  St.   Louis,   St.  Catherine  of 

Siena. 
Cup  or  Chalice.— See  SS.  Barbara,  Benedict. 
Cup  with  Serpent.— See  St.  John  the  Evangelist. 


SYMBOLS  AND  ATTRIBUTES    xxvii 

Cup  with  Spider. — See  St.  Norbert. 

Dog. — See  SS.  Dominic,  Roch. 

Dove. — Symbol  of  the  Holy  Ghost.     See  St.  Gregory, 

and  others. 
Dove. — Symbol    of  purity.     See  Virgin    Mary,   and 

female  saints. 
Dove. — Emblem  of  the  soul,  issues  from  the  dying. 

See  St.  Eulalia. 
Dragon  or  Serpent. — Emblem  of  Satan  or  sin.     See 

SS.  George,  Michael,  Theodore,  Margaret,  Martha, 

and  others. 
Eagle. — See  St.  John  the  Evangelist. 
Eyes  on  a  Plate,  or  a  Book. — See  SS.  Lucy,  Ottilia. 
Falcon. — See  St.  Bavon. 
Fire. — Emblem  of  religious  fervour,  or  instrument  of 

martyrdom. 
Fish. — Early  Christian  symbol  of  Christ,  and  emblem 

of  Christian  Faith. 
Fish. — Symbol  of   Conversion   ("Fishers   of  men"). 

See  St.  Peter,  and  other  bishops. 
Fish. — See  St.  Raphael. 
Flame  or  Flaming  Heart. — Symbol  of  fervent  piety 

or    love.      See    SS.    Augustine,    Theresa,    and 

Jesuits. 
Girdle,  the  Virgin's. — See  St.  Thomas. 
Gridiron. — See  St.  Lawrence. 
Halberd. — See  SS.  Matthias,  Simon,  and  Jude. 
Handkerchief  or  Veil. — See  St.  Veronica. 


xxviii     THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

Head    carried. — See    SS.    Denis,    Cuthbert,     Grata, 

Proculus. 
Heart.— Symbol  of  Charity.     See  "  Flame." 
Heart  crowned  with  Thorns. — See  St.  Ignatius  Loyala, 

and  Jesuits. 
Inkhorn. — See  St.  Matthew. 
Keys.— See  St.  Peter. 

Knife. — See  "  Axe."     See  St.  Bartholomew. 
Lamb. — Symbol  of  Christ.     See  St.  John  the  Baptist. 
Lamb. — Emblem  of  purity  and  innocence.     See  St. 

Agnes. 
Lamp  or  Lantern  or  Taper. — Emblem  of  piety.     See 

SS.  Gudula,  Lucy,  Genevieve. 
Lance  or  Javelin. — See  SS.  George,  Lambert,  Longinus. 
Lily. — Symbol  of  purity.      See  St.  Mary,  Virgin,  SS. 

Gabriel,  Dominic,  Anthony  of  Padua,  Clara. 
Lion. — Symbol  of  Christ,  the  Lion  of  Judah. 
Lion,  winged. — See  St.  Mark  the  Evangelist. 
Lion. — Emblem   of  solitude    or   fortitude.     See    SS. 

Jerome,  Anthony. 
Lion. — Instrument  of  martyrdom.     See  SS.  Adrian, 

Ignatius,  Euphemia. 
Millstone. — See  SS.  Christina,  Victor. 
Mitre. — Denotes  bishop  or  archbishop  or  abbot. 
Mountain. — Early  symbol  of  Paradise,  or  the  Church. 
Mule. — See  St.  Anthony  of  Padua. 
Nimbus  or  Circlet  of  Glory  round  the  head. — Signifies 

sanctity. 


SYMBOLS  AND  ATTRIBUTES    xxix 

Olive  Branch  or  Leaf. — Emblem  of  peace.     See  SS. 

Gabriel,  Agnes,  Pantaleon. 
Organ  or  similar  instrument. — See  St.  Cecilia. 
Ox. — See  St.  Luke  the  Evangelist. 
Palm. — Symbol    of    victory,    in     the    hand    of    all 

martyrs. 
Peacock. — Symbol  of  resurrection,  mortal  changed  to 

immortal. 
Pelican. — Early  symbol  of  Christ. 
Pig. — Symbol  of  lusts  of  the  flesh.     See  St.  Anthony 

the  Hermit. 
Pincers. — See  SS.  Agatha,  Apollonia. 
Pyx  or  Host. — See  SS.  Clara,  Thomas  Aquinas,  Bona- 

ventura. 
Plague-spot  on  thigh. — See  St.  Roch. 
Plough. — See  St.  Isidor. 
Pot— See   "Box."     See  St.  Martha,  SS.   Justa   and 

Rufina. 
Purse. — See  "  Bag."    Three  purses.     See  St.  Nicholas 

of  Myra. 
Rainbow,    Three-coloured. — Early    emblem     of    the 

Trinity. 
Raven. — See  "  Crow." 
Ring. — Emblem  of  Eternity. 
Ring. — Symbol  of  marriage.     See  St.  Catherine. 
River. — Early  emblem  of  eternal  life. 
River.— See  Evangelists,  St   Christopher,  St.  Julian 

Hospitator. 


xxx        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Roses. — See   SS.    Dorothea,    Elizabeth   of  Hungary, 

Cecilia,  Rosa. 
Saw. — See  SS.  Simon  and  Jude. 
Scallop  shell  in  hat. — Denotes  a  pilgrim. 
Scourge. — Denotes  penance. 
Scourge  knotted. — See  St.  Ambrose. 
Serpent. — See  "  Dragon." 
Shears. — See  St.  Agatha. 
Sheep,  twelve. — Early  symbol  of  the  Apostles. 
Sheep.— Emblem    of    the    faithful,    with    the    Good 

Shepherd. 
Sheep. — See  St.  Genevieve. 
Ship. — Early  Christian  symbol  of  the  Church. 
Skull. — Symbol    of   mortality   or   penance.     See   St. 

Anthony  and  others. 
Spade. — See  SS.  Isidor,  Phocas. 
Square,  carpenter's. — See  St.  Thomas. 
Staff. — Symbol    of    pilgrimage.      See     SS.     James, 

Roch. 
Stag. — Symbol  of  solitude  and  piety.     Or,  denotes  a 

hunter.     See  St.  Julian. 
Stag  with  Crucifix. — See  SS.  Eustace,  Hubert. 
Stag,  wounded. — See  St.  Giles. 
Standard. — See  "  Banner." 
Star. — See    SS.    Dominic,    Nicholas    of    Tolentino, 

Thomas  Aquinas. 
Stigmata. — See  SS.  Francis,  Catherine  of  Siena. 
Stone. — See  SS.  Stephen,  Bavon,  Jerome. 


SYMBOLS  AND  ATTRIBUTES    xxxi 

Sword. — Symbol  of  martyrdom  in  general. 

Sword. — Attribute  of  martyrs  who  died  by  the  sword. 

See  SS.  Paul,  Adrian,  Catherine,  Justina,  Protasius, 

and  many  others. 
Tools,  cobblers'. — See  St.  Crispin. 
Tools,  smiths'. — See  St.  Eloy. 
Tooth. — See  St.  Apollonia. 
Tower. — See  St.  Barbara. 
Unicorn. — Symbol   of  chastity.     See   St.   Justina   of 

Antioch. 
Veil. — See  St.  Veronica,  St.  Agatha. 
Vine. — Early  symbol  of  Christ  or  the  Church. 
Wheel,  broken. — See  St.  Catherine. 


THE  SAINTS  IN  ART 

Adelaide,    St.    (of   Bergamo).      (See  St. 
Grata.) 

Adrian,  St  (Patron  Saint  of  Soldiers).  (Stk 
September) 
A  Roman  of  noble  birth,  who  served  in 
the  guards  of  the  Emperor  Galerius.  His 
wife  Natalia  was  a  Christian.  When  the 
tenth  persecution  broke  out  in  Bithynia 
(a.d.  290)  it  fell  to  the  lot  of  Adrian  to 
superintend  the  execution  of  the  Christians  ; 
and,  overcome  by  their  constancy  in  suffering, 
much  to  the  joy  of  his  wife,  he  was  converted 
to  her  faith.  Having  been  cast  into  prison, 
scourged,  and  tortured,  he  was  finally  sentenced 
to  have  his  limbs  cut  off  on  a  blacksmith's 
anvil.  Thus  he  died,  and  his  body  was  car- 
ried by  the  Christians  to  Byzantium.  Natalia, 
who  comforted  and  encouraged  her  husband 


2  THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

to  the  last,  passed  the  remainder  of  her  life 
in  widowhood  near  his  tomb,  but  has  always 
been  given  the  honours  of  martyrdom,  be- 
cause of  her  sufferings  and  constancy. 

He  is  represented  in  armour,  sometimes 
with  a  lion  or  sword  \  his  distinguishing  at- 
tribute is  an  anvil. 

Afra  and  JULIA,  SS.  (Patron  Saints  of 
Brescia).     ($tk  August) 

Both  were  virgin  martyrs,  and  have 
churches  dedicated  to  them.  They  are 
often  associated  in  pictures  with  St.  Apol- 
lonius,  the  Bishop,  and  SS.  Faustinus  and 
Jovita,  all  patrons  of  Brescia. 

In  the  Church  of  St.  Afra,  Brescia,  is 
a  picture  of  the  martyrdom,  ascribed  to 
Veronese. 

AGATHA,  St.     ($th  February) 

According  to  the  legend  was  a  Christian 
maiden  of  Catania,  in  Sicily,  in  the  reign 
of  the  Emperor  Decius.  Quintianus,  who 
was  sent  to  govern  Sicily,  when  he  heard  of 
her  beauty  and  virtue,  sent  for  her,  and  tried 


THE    SAINTS   IN   ART  3 

by  all  means  in  his  power  to  get  her  for  him- 
self. Agatha  said  that  neither  wild  beasts 
nor  fire  nor  scourging  would  move  her,  she 
would  remain  the  servant  of  Christ.  Then 
Quintianus  had  her  bound  and  beaten,  and 
ordered  his  slaves  to  tear  her  breasts  with 
iron  pincers.  She  was  then  carried  to  a  dark 
dungeon,  where  St.  Peter,  accompanied  by  a 
youth  bearing  a  torch,  appeared  in  the  night 
with  ointment,  and  healed  her.  Then  Quin- 
tianus had  her  thrown  into  a  fire,  but  an 
earthquake  came  at  the  moment,  and  ter- 
rified the  people  so  much  that  they  begged 
him  to  stop  the  murder.  Agatha  was  carried 
to  a  dungeon,  but  died  of  her  wounds.  Her 
tomb  became  a  sacred  spot  to  Christians, 
and,  at  a  great  eruption  of  Mount  Etna, 
they  took  her  silken  veil  from  it,  fixed  it  on 
a  lance,  and  went  forth  to  meet  the  lava, 
which  ceased  to  flow  at  their  approach,  and 
the  eruption  ended. 

She  is  represented  with  a  martyr's  palm 
and  the  instruments  of  her  torture,  pincers 
or  shears^  or  with  her  breasts  in  her  hand  or 
on  a  salver.     She  sometimes  has  a  long  veil. 


4  THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

A  picture  of  the  martyrdom  is  in  the  Pitti, 
Florence,  by  Sebastiano  del  Piombo. 

AGNES,  St.  (Span.  Inez).     {21st  January) 

One  of  the  oldest  Christian  legends  is  that 
of  St.  Agnes,  the  Roman  virgin  martyr.  From 
childhood  she  was  distinguished  for  her 
purity  and  sanctity.  While  still  a  girl,  Sem- 
pronius,  the  son  of  the  Prefect  of  Rome,  fell 
in  love  with  her,  but  all  his  gifts  and  flattery 
availed  him  nothing.  When  the  Prefect  saw 
his  son  sick,  he  added  his  persuasions,  but  she 
refused  absolutely,saying  that  Christ  was  her 
spouse.  Then  he  grew  angry,  and  ordered 
all  sorts  of  torments :  she  was  stripped  of 
clothing,  but  her  hair  suddenly  grew  so  long 
that  it  covered  her  entirely.  When  the 
onlookers,  terrified,  shut  her  up,  an  angel  ap- 
peared to  her,  bringing  a  shining  garment. 
When  Sempronius  approached  her,  he  was 
smitten  with  blindness  and  convulsions,  and 
the  Prefect  ordered  her  to  be  burnt  as  a 
sorceress.  But  the  flames  refused  to  touch 
her,  burning  the  executioners  instead.  She 
was  then  killed  with  the  sword,  preserving 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  5 

her  purity  to  the  end,  and  the  legend  says 
that  she  appeared  afterwards  to  people 
worshipping  at  her  tomb,  accompanied  by 
a  snow-white  lamb. 

She  is  represented  as  very  young  and  fair, 
with  a  lamb. 


Alban,  St.    {22nd  June) 

The  first  British  martyr.  He  was  born  at 
Verulamium  (St.  Alban's),  in  the  third  century. 
During  the  persecution  under  Diocletian  he 
sheltered  in  his  house  a  Christian  priest,  by 
whose  teaching  and  example  he  was  con- 
verted. Soon  afterwards  he  suffered  martyr- 
dom. A  church  was  built  on  the  spot,  in 
later  times  the  site  of  the  celebrated  Benedic- 
tine monastery. 

Albert, St.  (Bishop  of  Vercelli,and  Patriarch 
of  Jerusalem).  (%th  April) 
He  is  regarded  as  the  Founder  of  the 
Carmelite  Order.  In  12 14,  when  about  to 
embark  at  Acre  to  attend  a  council  at  Rome, 
he  was  murdered  by  a  ruffian  whom  he  had 


6  THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

reproved  for  his  crimes.  He  therefore  bears 
the  pabn)  as  a  martyr.  He  wears  the  Carmel- 
ite habit. 

In  a  picture  by  Dosso  Dossi,  in  the  Carmine, 
Modena,  he  is  trampling  on  the  fiend  in  the 
form  of  a  woman. 

Albertus  Magnus,  St.    {i$th  November) 

One  of  the  greatest  philosophical  thinkers 
of  the  Middle  Ages.  He  was  a  Dominican 
friar,  and  Bishop  of  Ratisbon.  He  is  often 
represented  with  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  in  the 
Dominican  habit. 

In  a  picture,  ascribed  to  Fra  Angelico,  in 
the  Accademia,  Florence,  he  is  delivering  his 
lectures,  and  in  Fra  Angelico's  picture  of"  The 
Risen  Christ,"  in  the  National  Gallery,  he 
appears  as  a  Bishop. 

Alexander,  St.  (of  Bergamo).     (See   St. 
Grata.) 

Alexis,  St.  (Lat.  S.  Alexius  ;  Ital.  Sant' 
Alessio).    ( 1 7th  July) 
The    long-desired    son    and   heir   of   rich 
Roman  parents.    When  still  young  he  vowed 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  7 

himself  to  the  service  of  God,  but  his  father 
insisted  upon  his  marrying  a  noble  Roman 
maiden.  After  the  marriage  festival  he  fled 
in  a  small  boat  by  the  river  to  Ostia.  There 
he  took  ship,  and  came  to  Asia  Minor,  where 
he  lived  in  great  poverty,  and  taught,  and 
ministered  to  the  people.  After  a  time  he 
returned  destitute  to  Rome,  and  came  to  his 
father's  house,  where  no  one  recognised  him, 
and  he  was  lodged  in  a  hole  under  the  marble 
steps  of  the  door.  His  father,  mother,  and 
wife  were  still  mourning  his  loss,  but  he 
made  no  sign,  and  at  last  came  near  to  death. 
Then  he  wrote  down  all  he  had  gone  through 
on  paper,  and  while  Innocent  I.  was  cele- 
brating Mass  before  the  Emperor  Honorius  a 
voice  was  heard,  telling  them  to  seek  Alexis  in 
the  house  of  his  father  Euphemian.  So  they 
came  to  the  place,  but  meanwhile  Alexis 
had  died.  He  was  given  the  honours  of 
martyrdom  because  of  his  sufferings  and 
constancy,  and  became  the  Patron  Saint  of 
Beggars. 

He  is  represented  as  a  pilgrim  or  beggar, 
ragged,  and  carrying  a  palm  or  a  cross. 


8  THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Ambrose,  St.  (Ital.  Sant'  Ambrogio). 
(Patron  Saint  of  Milan.)  (jtk  December) 
Son  of  a  prefect  of  Gaul,  born  at  Treves, 
about  340.  Legend  says  that,  as  a  forecast  of 
future  eloquence,  a  swarm  of  bees  alighted  on 
his  mouth  when  he  was  a  baby  in  the  cradle, 
and  did  him  no  harm.  On  leaving  Rome, 
where  he  was  educated,  he  went  to  Milan, 
and,  after  becoming  distinguished  at  the  Bar 
there,  he  was  made  governor  of  the  province. 
In  374,  on  the  death  of  the  Archbishop  of 
Milan,  a  great  controversy  arose  between  the 
orthodox  Catholics  and  the  Arians.  On  the 
day  of  the  election,  Ambrose  addressed  the 
violent  multitude,  and,  when  he  had  reduced 
them  to  silence  by  his  eloquence,  a  small 
child  in  the  crowd  shouted  out:  "  Ambrosius 
Episcopus  ! "  The  voice  was  considered  an 
intimation  from  Heaven,  and,  much  against 
his  will,  by  the  consensus  of  the  people  and 
the  command  of  the  Emperor,  St.  Ambrose 
was  shortly  afterwards  consecrated  Bishop. 
He  set  to  work  to  be  worthy  of  his  office,  the 
importance  and  authority  of  which  he  fully 
realised.     He  insisted  on  the  supremacy  of 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  9 

the  Church  over  the  civil  power,  by  various 
acts,  culminating  in  his  famous  action  towards 
the  Emperor  Theodosius  for  his  massacre  in 
Thessalonica.  He  excommunicated  him,  and 
insisted  on  his  public  penance  in  the  cathedral 
at  Milan.  There  are  legends  of  his  healing 
the  sick  and  lame,  and  seeing  the  burial  of 
St.  Martin  of  Tours  in  a  vision.  He  also  had 
a  miraculous  dream,  in  which  the  burial  place 
of  the  bones  of  the  martyrs  St.  Gervasius 
and  St.  Protasius  were  revealed  to  him,  and 
he  had  them  deposited  in  Milan  Cathedral. 
Christ  visited  him  on  his  deathbed;  an  angel 
woke  the  Bishop  of  Vercelli  to  give  him  the 
last  sacrament ;  he  was  borne  to  heaven  by 
angels. 

He  is  usually  represented  as  a  bishop, 
sometimes  with  a  beehive  at  his  feet.  More 
often  his  attribute  is  a  knotted  scourge, 
with  three  thongs,  representing  the  Trini- 
tarian doctrines,  which  put  the  Arians 
to  flight. 

Pictures  by  Vivarini  and  Basaiti  in  the 
Frari,  Venice,  and  by  Ferrari  at  Vercelli. 


io         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Andrew,  St.  (Biblical,  Patron  Saint  of  Russia 
and  Scotland).     (30/^  November) 

Tradition  says  that  St.  Andrew,  after 
preaching  in  Russia,  went  to  Greece,  where 
he  converted  the  wife  of  the  Proconsul, 
and  was  consequently  scourged,  tortured, 
and  finally  crucified.  According  to  legend 
his  cross  was  in  the  form  of  an  X  (St. 
Andrew's  cross),  and  he  was  bound  to  it 
with  cords.  Before  his  crucifixion  he  knelt 
and  adored  the  cross,  in  remembrance  of 
his  Master's  death. 

He  is  represented  generally  as  an  old 
man,  with  the  transverse  cross. 

Angelus  the  Carmelite,  St.  ($th  May) 
According  to  legend  he  came  from  the 
East  about  12 17,  and  preached  at  Palermo 
and  Messina.  Having  rebuked  the  wicked- 
ness of  Count  Berenger,  a  powerful  noble 
of  that  country,  he  was  hanged  upon  a  tree, 
and  shot  with  arrows. 

He  bears  the  palm  as  a  martyr;  some- 
times red  and  white  roses  are  seen  falling 
from  his  mouth,  symbols  of  his  eloquence. 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         n 

ANNE,    St.    (the    mother    of    the    Virgin). 
(See  St.  Mary  Virgin.)    (2.6th  July) 

Ansano,  St. 

Formerly  the  Patron  Saint  of  Siena.  He 
was  a  Roman  martyr,  beheaded  under 
Diocletian. 

He  is  represented  in  old  Sienese  pictures 
as  a  young  martyr. 

Anselm,  St.    (2 1st  April) 

One  of  the  most  pious  and  learned  ec- 
clesiastics of  his  time,  known  as  the  "  second 
father  of  scholasticism."  He  is  renowned 
for  the  courage  with  which  he  upheld  the 
rights  of  the  Church  against  his  king, 
William  Rufus.  He  is  sometimes  confused 
with  St.  Anselm  of  Lucca,  who  is  represented 
as  a  bishop,  sometimes  with  a  scroll  in 
honour  of  the  Virgin. 

Anthony,   St.   (the   Hermit).     (17th  Jan- 
uary)    (St.  Paul,  15th  January) 
Was   born   at    Alexandria,    in    the    third 
century.     He  was  early  left  an  orphan,  with 


12         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

an  only  sister,  with  whom  he  divided  his 
inheritance,  sold  his  portion,  and  went  to 
live  among  hermits.  According  to  the 
legend  he  was  tormented  grievously  by 
demons,  who  tempted  him  with  every 
worldly  delight,  rich  clothing,  delicious 
viands,  and  beautiful  women  appeared  be- 
fore him,  but  by  prayer  he  overcame  them. 
Then  they  assumed  the  hideous  shapes 
of  monsters,  serpents,  and  every  kind  of 
poisonous  animal,  and  these  tormented  him, 
but  Christ  comforted  him.  He  fled  to  a 
more  secluded  cavern,  where  he  lived  for 
twenty  years,  without  human  intercourse  of 
any  kind.  Then  he  came  out  of  his  soli- 
tude, and  preached  and  taught,  performing 
miracles,  and  persuaded  many  to  become 
his  disciples.  When  he  had  lived  for  seventy- 
five  years  in  the  desert,  he  was  told  in  a 
vision  of  St.  Paul,  the  hermit,  who  had  been 
living  in  penance  for  ninety  years,  and  he 
at  once  resolved  to  go  to  see  him.  So  he 
set  out  across  the  desert.  After  journey- 
ing several  days,  and  meeting  on  the  way 
a   centaur  and  a  satyr,  he  came  at  last  to 


MADONNA    AND    CHILD    WITH    SS.    ANTONY   AND    BARBARA 
From  the  painting  by  Bernardino  Luini  in  the  Brera,  Mila?i 


THE    SAINTS   IN    ART         13 

a  cave  in  the  rocks,  where  St.  Paul  dwelt, 
beside  a  stream  and  a  palm-tree.  The  two 
men  embraced,  and  St.  Paul  inquired  of  the 
world  since  he  had  left  it.  While  they 
talked,  a  raven  came,  bringing  a  loaf  of 
bread  in  its  beak.  St.  Paul  said  that  it  had 
come  every  day  for  sixty  years,  but  that 
to-day  the  portion  was  doubled.  He  then 
told  St.  Anthony  to  go  back  to  his  monastery, 
and  fetch  a  cloak  that  had  been  given  him 
by  St.  Athanasius,  the  bishop,  for  he  was  about 
to  die,  and  wished  to  be  buried  in  it.  So 
St.  Anthony  set  out,  and  as  he  was  returning 
with  the  cloak  he  saw  a  vision  of  St.  Paul 
ascending  to  heaven,  and  on  his  arrival  at 
the  cave  he  found  his  body,  dead,  in  the 
attitude  of  prayer.  He  had  no  strength  left 
to  dig  a  grave,  but  two  lions  came  and  dug 
it  with  their  paws,  and  St.  Anthony  wrapped 
the  body  in  the  cloak  and  buried  it.  He 
died  fourteen  years  later,  and  was  buried 
secretly,  according  to  his  wish. 

He  is  represented  as  very  old,  in  his 
monk's  habit  (as  the  founder  of  monachism), 
often  with  a  crutch,  and  asperges,  or  a  bell  (to 


14         THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

exorcise  evil  spirits),  and  a  pig,  to  represent 
sensuality  and  gluttony  overcome  by  him. 

Picture  by  Vittore  Pisano,  in  National 
Gallery. 

St.  Paul  is  very  old,  with  long  white  hair, 
half  naked,  his  only  garment  of  matted  palm 
leaves,  sometimes  with  a  raven  and  a  stream. 

Represented  in  Fra  Angelico's  "Risen 
Christ,"  in  National  Gallery. 

Antoninus,  St.  (of  Florence).  {\oth  May) 
Born  about  1384.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
he  presented  himself  for  admission  at  the 
Dominican  Convent  at  Fiesole,  but  he 
looked  so  small  that  the  Prior  told  him  to 
go  away,  and  learn  the  Libro  del  Decreto 
by  heart,  and  then  to  come  again.  To  his 
surprise,  Antoninus,  who  had  indomitable 
perseverance,  returned  next  year,  and  re- 
peated the  whole  book.  He  was  admitted, 
and  after  studying  for  a  year  at  Cortona 
returned  to  Fiesole.  Among  his  companions 
his  great  friend  was  Fra  Giovanni,  afterwards 
known  as  "  II  Beato,"  or  "  Angelico,"  the 
celebrated   artist   of  Florence.     When   Fra 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         15 

Angelico  was  painting  in  Rome  for  the 
Pope  he  won  great  favour  by  his  purity 
and  wisdom,  and  on  the  death  of  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Florence  he  was  offered  the  dig- 
nity. But  he  entreated  the  Pope  to  choose 
rather  Fra  Antoninus,  who  had  done  great 
service  by  his  unworldliness  and  gentle  but 
irresistible  power.  The  Pope  willingly  did  so, 
and  Antoninus  became  the  model  of  a  wise 
prelate,  greatly  beloved  by  the  people  of  Flor- 
ence.    He  died  thirteen  years  later,  in  1459. 

He  is  represented  as  an  archbishop,  and 
wears  the  Dominican  habit.  His  portrait,  by 
Fra  Bartolomeo,  is  in  San  Marco,  Florence. 


ANTONY,  St.  (of  Padua),     iiyh  June) 

Born  in  Portugal,  towards  the  close  of  the 
twelfth  century,  he  assumed  the  Franciscan 
habit,  and  devoted  himself  to  missionary 
work.  He  went  to  Morocco,  but  was  obliged 
by  sickness  to  return  to  Europe.  He  then 
joined  St.  Francis  at  Assisi,  who  sent  him  to 
teach  divinity  in  several  universities,  includ- 
ing Padua.     After  this  he  devoted   himself 


1 6         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

entirely  to  preaching,  and  became  renowned 
for  his  persuasive  eloquence.  Like  St.  Francis, 
he  loved  Nature  and  all  animals,  and  a  legend 
relates  that,  when  the  people  of  Rimini  refused 
to  listen  to  his  preaching,  he  went  to  the  sea- 
shore, and  said  :  "  Hear,  O  fishes,  what  the 
unbelievers  refuse.',  Whereupon  innumer- 
able fishes,  large  and  small,  lifted  their  heads 
out  of  the  water,  and  listened  to  his  sermon. 
Many  miracles  are  recorded  of  him.  One, 
often  represented,  was  on  the  occasion  of  his 
preaching  a  funeral  sermon  for  a  very  rich 
and  avaricious  man.  After  condemning  him, 
he  said  his  heart  would  be  found  in  his  trea- 
sure chest,  if  his  friends  and  relations  sought 
it  there ;  and  so  it  was,  and  on  opening  the 
body  the  heart  was  missing.  There  is  also  a 
story  that  a  certain  heretic  asked  him  for 
a  proof  of  the  Real  Presence,  and  that  St. 
Antony  made  the  man's  mule  bow  down 
before  the  Host,  and  remain  kneeling  till  it 
had  gone  by.  It  is  said  that  one  day,  while 
he  was  preaching  on  the  Incarnation,  the 
Infant  Christ  appeared,  standing  on  his 
book.     He  is  much  revered  in  Padua,  where 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         17 

his  church  is  famous,  and  he  is  termed  simply 
"  II  Santo." 

He  is  represented  young,  in  the  Franciscan 
habit ;  often  with  a  lily  or  a  crucifix  in  his 
hand,  or  with  the  Christ  Child  standing  on  his 
book,  or  carried  in  his  arms.  Sometimes  a 
flame  of  fire  is  seen  in  his  hand  or  in  his  breast, 
and  sometimes  a  mule  kneeling  near  him. 

His  life  is  illustrated  by  various  artists  in 
reliefs  and  frescoes  at  Padua.  Representa- 
tions of  the  saint  are  very  frequent  in  churches, 
especially  in  France.  He  is  revered  as  the 
restorer  of  lost  property  to  its  rightful  owners. 

Apollinaris,  St.    {2ird  July) 

The  first  Bishop  of  Ravenna.  He  was 
martyred  in  the  reign  of  Vespasian,  at  the 
place,  three  miles  from  the  city,  where  his 
church  now  stands,  called  St.  Apollinare  in 
Classe. 

Apollonia,  St.  (Fr.  Ste.  Apolline).    (gth 
February) 
Was  the  daughter  of  rich  parents  at  Alex- 
andria, in  the  third  century.    Before  her  birth, 

B 


1 8         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

her  mother,  after  vainly  praying  to  her  gods, 
had  besought  the  Virgin  for  a  child.  Apol- 
lonia  heard  this,  and  in  her  youth  became  a 
Christian.  Directed  by  an  angel,  she  came 
to  St.  Leonine,  a  disciple  of  St.  Anthony,  and 
was  baptised.  An  angel  appeared  to  her 
bringing  a  white  garment,  and  told  her  to  go 
and  preach  in  Alexandria.  This  she  did  ; 
but  her  father  gave  her  up  to  the  governor, 
who  bade  her  fall  down  before  his  idols. 
When  she  refused  she  was  bound  to  a  column, 
and  her  teeth  were  pulled  out  one  by  one  with 
pincers ;  as  she  persisted  in  the  faith  she 
was  killed,  one  legend  says  by  fire,  another 
with  the  sword. 

Her  distinguishing  attribute  is  a  pair  of 
pincers,  occasionally  a  tooth.  Frescoes  by 
Luini  at  Saronno. 

Apollonius,  St. 

Bishop  of  Brescia  about  the  year  300. 

Apostles,  The  Twelve  (Biblical) 

In   old  Byzantine  work  sometimes  repre- 
sented as  sheep,  often  issuing  from  the  cities 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         19 

of  Bethlehem  and  Jerusalem — the  cities  of 
CHRIST'S  birth  and  death.  Occasionally  as 
men,  with  scrolls  in  their  hands,  bearing  the 
various  clauses  of  the  Apostles'  Creed,  which 
they  are  supposed  to  have  formulated  at  their 
last  meeting  on  Mount  Olivet,  before  they  set 
out  to  preach. 

Aquinas,    St.    Thomas.      (See    Thomas 
Aquinas,  St.) 

Archangels. 

"  The  seven  holy  angels  who  stand  in  the 
presence  of  God."  Of  these,  four  only  in 
Christian  art  are  distinguished  by  name — 
viz.  Michael,  Gabriel,  Raphael,  and  Uriel. 
The  first  three  are  reverenced  in  the  Catholic 
Church  as  saints.    (See  Michael,  St.,  etc.) 

Athanasius,  St.    (2nd  May) 

One  of  the  Greek  Fathers,  was  born  in 
Alexandria  about  298.  He  won  renown  as 
a  champion  of  orthodoxy  at  the  Council  of 
Nice  (325).    The  next  year  he  became  Bishop 


2o         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

of  Alexandria,  and  waged  perpetual  warfare 
against  the  Arians  till  his  death,  in  372. 

He  is  represented  generally  in  groups 
of  the  Greek  Fathers,  and  distinguished  by 
name. 

Augustine,  St.  (the  greatest  of  the  Latin 
Fathers).  (28^  August) 
Was  born  in  354  A.D.,  in  Numidia.  His 
mother,  Monica,  was  a  Christian,  and,  accord- 
ing to  tradition,  was  most  anxious  to  bring 
up  her  son  in  her  faith,  herself  taking  him  to 
school  in  early  youth.  But  it  was  not  till 
after  a  stormy,  restless  period,  followed  by 
great  success  in  law  at  Rome,  that  he  came 
to  Milan,  where,  under  the  influence  of  St. 
Ambrose,  he  was  baptised,  in  the  presence  of 
his  mother,  in  387.  He  gave  himself  up  to 
study  for  some  years,  was  then  ordained,  and 
shortly  became  Bishop  of  Hippo,  near  Car- 
thage. Here  he  wrote  his  chief  theological 
works  and  his  confessions.  He  devoted 
himself  to  his  diocese,  refusing  to  leave  his 
flock  when  North  Africa  was  overrun  by 
the  Vandals,  and  died  in  Hippo,  during  the 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         21 

siege  of  that  town  in  430.  He  was  con- 
sidered the  Founder  of  the  Augustine  Order 
of  Friars,  and  became  the  Patron  Saint  of 
Theologians.  He  relates  many  of  his  visions, 
the  most  famous  being  that,  while  meditat- 
ing on  the  Trinity  on  the  seashore,  the  Christ 
Child  appeared  to  him,  filling  a  hole  in  the 
sand  with  water.  St.  Augustine  asked  Him 
what  He  was  doing.  He  said  :  "  Trying  to 
pour  all  the  water  of  the  sea  into  this  hole." 
"  Impossible,"  said  Augustine.  "  Not  more 
than  for  thee,  O  Augustine,  to  explain  the 
mystery  on  which  thou  art  meditating  !  " 

He  is  represented  with  his  bishop's  mitre 
and  crozier,  or  in  the  black  habit  of  his  order, 
sometimes  with  a  pen  or  a  book,  one  of  his 
own  works,  or  a  flaming  heart.  Often  his 
mother  is  with  him,  generally  with  a  grey  or 
white  coif.  He  is  less  easy  to  distinguish 
than  the  other  Fathers,  but  is  a  very  favourite 
figure  in  art. 

His  life  is  illustrated  in  frescoes  by  Benozzo 
Gozzoli  at  San  Gimignano,  pictures  by  Botti- 
celli in  the  Accademia,  Florence,  and  by 
Garofalo  in  the  National  Gallery. 


22  THE  SAINTS  IN  ART 
AUGUSTINE,  St.  (of  Canterbury).  {2.6th  May) 
He  was  sent  by  Gregory  the  Great  to  found 
the  Roman  Church  in  England,  where  the 
earlier  British  Church  had  been  to  a  great 
extent  extirpated,  or  driven  West,  by  the 
pagan  invaders.  He  converted  Ethelbert, 
King  of  Kent,  and  as  a  result  of  his  labours 
a  large  part  of  the  country  became  Christian. 
His  career  forms  a  well-known  chapter  in  our 
early  history. 

Barbara,  St.  (Patroness  of  Armourers  and 
Fortifications).  ($th  December) 
According  to  legend,  she  was  the  daughter 
of  a  nobleman,  named  Dioscorus,  of  Helio- 
polis.  He  loved  her  so  dearly  that,  fearful 
lest  she  should  be  taken  from  him  in  marriage, 
he  shut  her  up  in  a  solitary  tower.  Here  she 
contemplated,  and  meditated  on  the  stars, 
and  despised  the  false  gods  of  her  parents. 
She  heard  of  the  fame  of  Origen  and  his 
teaching  at  Alexandria,  and  wrote  to  him 
secretly  for  instruction  in  the  Faith.  Origen 
sent  her  one  of  his  disciples,  disguised  as  a 
physician,  and  by  him  she  was  taught  and 


THE   SAINTS    IN   ART         23 

baptised.  During  her  father's  absence  from 
home  she  made  the  workmen,  who  were 
constructing  a  splendid  bathroom  in  her 
tower,  put  in  three  windows  instead  of  two. 
When  questioned  by  her  father  about  it, 
she  said  that  light  came  into  her  soul 
through  three  windows — the  Father,  the  Son, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  was  enraged  at 
her  conversion  to  Christianity,  and,  all  his 
love  for  her  turning  to  hate,  he  tried  to  kill 
her.  Though  she  was  miraculously  ren- 
dered invisible  and  concealed  for  a  time, 
he  found  her  at  length,  and,  after  all  en- 
deavours to  persuade  her  had  failed,  he  cut 
off  her  head  with  his  own  hand,  on  a  moun- 
tain near  the  city.  As  he  came  down  after 
the  martyrdom,  fire  descended  from  heaven 
and  destroyed  him,  so  that  not  a  trace  re- 
mained. 

She  is  represented  with  crown  and  palm 
of  martyrdom,  often  with  a  book,  but  her 
distinguishing  attribute  is  a  tower,  often 
with  three  windows.  She  is  invoked  against 
sudden  death,  in  the  belief  that  she  will 
save    people   from    dying   without   the   last 


24         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

sacraments ;   hence  she  is  sometimes  repre- 
sented with  the  cup  and  wafer. 

Pictures  by  Palma  Vecchio  in  S.  Maria 
Formosa,  Venice,  and  by  Matteo  di  Giov- 
anni, in  S.  Domenico,  Siena. 

Barnabas,  St.  (Biblical).    {\\th  June) 
Tradition  says  that,  when  he  went  forth 

preaching,  he  carried  with  him  the  original 

copy  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  Mark,  and  with 

it   performed   many  miracles.     He  was  the 

first  Bishop  of  Milan. 

He   is   represented  with  St.   Paul   or   St. 

Mark,  sometimes  holding  St,  Mark's  Gospel 

in  his  hand. 

Bartholomew,  St.  (Biblical).  (24/A  August) 
By  some  identified  with  Nathanael.  Ac- 
cording to  tradition  he  preached  the  Gospel 
in  India  and  the  Far  East.  Returning  through 
Armenia  and  Asia  Minor,  he  suffered  mar- 
tyrdom at  Albanopolis.  He  was  flayed 
alive,  and  then  crucified. 

He  is  represented  of  a  dark  complexion  ; 


ST.    BARTHOLOMEW 

Fro7?i  an  engraving  by  Albrecht  Dllrer 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART     '    25 

sometimes    holding   his   skin    in    his    hand. 
His  attribute  is  a  large  knife. 

Basil,  St.  (the  Greek  Father).  {\\th  June) 
Was  born  in  328,  and  belonged  to  a  family 
of  saints.  He  was  the  fellow-student  of  St. 
Gregory  Nazianzen  and  Julian  the  Apostate. 
He  became  Bishop  of  Caesarea  in  370,  and 
came  into  conflict  with  the  Emperor  Valens 
over  the  Arian  controversy.  He  wrote  in- 
numerable theological  works,  and  founded 
monachism  in  Asia  Minor.  He  died  in  379. 
He  is  represented  as  one  of  the  Greek 
Fathers,  generally  distinguished  by  his  name 
inscribed. 

Bavon,  St.  (Flem.  St.  Baf).    (1st  October) 

The  Patron  Saint  of  Ghent  and  Haarlem. 
A  nobleman  of  Brabant,  born  about  589, 
who  lived  for  nearly  fifty  years  a  worldly, 
dissipated  life.  Then  the  preaching  of  St. 
Amand  induced  him  to  give  away  all  that  he 
had,  and  to  retire,  as  a  hermit,  to  a  forest 
near  Ghent,  where  he  lived  in  a  hollow 
tree,  on  wild  herbs,  till  he  died,  about  657. 


26        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

He  is  represented  either  as  a  prince  with  a 
falcon,  or  as  a  hermit  in  a  hollow  tree.  Some- 
times a  large  j#?#*,  which  he  used  to  carry 
as  a  penance,  is  seen  beside  him. 

Benedict,  St.  (Ital.  San  Benedetto;  Fr. 
St.  Benoit;  Span.  San  Benito). 
{list  March) 
The  Founder  of  the  Benedictine  Order. 
He  was  born  of  a  noble  family  in  Spoleto, 
in  480,  and  was  sent  to  study  at  Rome,  where 
he  showed  great  promise,  but  disgusted  at 
the  prevailing  profligacy,  and  attracted  by 
the  teaching  of  St.  Jerome  on  the  efficacy  of 
solitude,  he  became  a  hermit,  at  the  age  of 
fifteen.  His  nurse,  Cyrilla,  who  had  never 
left  him,  tried  to  follow  him,  but  he  fled 
secretly,  and  hid  in  the  wilderness  of  Subi- 
aco.  Here  he  underwent  many  temptations, 
and  once,  distracted  by  earthly  desires,  he 
threw  himself  into  a  thicket  of  briars,  and 
arose  bleeding,  but  calm.  He  tended  the 
poor  and  sick,  and  after  a  time  a  society  of 
hermits  succeeded  in  making  him  its  head. 
But  his  life  was  too  strict  for  them,  and  one 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         27 

of  them  tried  to  poison  him  in  a  cup  of  wine. 
The  saint,  however,  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross  before  drinking,  and,  so  legend  tells 
us,  the  cup  miraculously  fell  to  the  ground, 
and  broke.  Then  St.  Benedict  returned  to 
Subiaco,  and,  with  the  help  of  his  many  dis- 
ciples, founded  twelve  monasteries.  Among 
those  who  were  brought  to  him  were  two 
boys,  Maurus  and  Placidus,  sons  of  Roman 
senators.  Both  afterwards  became  famous — 
St.  Maurus  introducing  the  Benedictine  Rule 
into  France,  where  it  flourished  exceedingly, 
and  St.  Placidus  into  Sicily,  where  his  sister, 
St.  Flavia,  joined  him,  and  was  martyred 
with  him.  St.  Benedict  had  a  powerful 
enemy,  Florentius,  who  did  all  he  could  to 
destroy  his  work,  attempting  to  take  his 
life,  and  to  draw  his  disciples  into  tempta- 
tion. When  he  heard  that  on  Monte  Cas- 
sino  the  worship  of  Apollo  still  continued, 
he  went  and  preached  there,  prevailed  on 
the  people  to  destroy  all  traces  of  idolatry, 
and  laid  the  foundation  of  what  has  since 
been  regarded  as  the  parent  monastery  of 
his  Order.     There  he  promulgated  his  Rule 


28         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

— a  perpetual  vow  of  poverty,  chastity,  and 
obedience,  combined  with  manual  labour. 
For  fourteen  years  he  ruled  over  his  con- 
vent at  Monte  Cassino,  and  his  latter  days 
were  cheered  by  the  help  of  his  sister, 
Scholastica,  who  is  considered  the  first  Bene- 
dictine nun.  He  died  in  543.  Innumerable 
legends  of  his  miracles  are  related. 

He  is  usually  represented  bearded,  gener- 
ally in  a  black,  but  sometimes  in  a  white, 
habit,  holding  the  asperges  (for  sprinkling  holy 
water),  or  his  pastoral  staff  as  abbot ;  some- 
times with  a  raven,  or  broken  cup,  or  broken 
sieve,  or  with  a  book. 

Frescoes  by  Spinello  Aretino  in  San  Mini- 
ato,Florence,and  picture  by  Memling  in  Uffizi. 

Benedict  (or  Bennet  Biscop),  St.  (\2tk 
January) 
Born  of  a  noble  Northumbrian  family,  he 
founded,  in  677,  two  important  monasteries 
at  Wearmouth  and  Jarrow,  which  he  adorned 
with  many  pictures.  He  made  five  journeys 
into  Italy,  and  brought  back  architects, 
sculptors,  and  workers  in    metal.     He   also 


THE   SAINTS    IN   ART         29 

laboured  for  the  improvement  of  Church 
music,  and  of  education  generally.  Bede 
was  among  his  pupils. 

Bernard,  St.  (of  Clairvaux).  {20th  August) 
The  importance  of  St.  Bernard  as  a  subject 
of  art  bears  no  proportion  to  his  importance 
in  history,  or  a  long  account  of  his  life  would 
be  his  due.  He  was  born  near  Dijon,  of 
noble  parentage,  in  1090.  He  studied  at 
the  University  of  Paris,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty  entered  the  Benedictine  Monastery 
of  Citeaux,  where  the  Reformed  Order  of 
Cistercians  had  lately  been  instituted.  A  few 
years  later,  this  monastery  becoming  over- 
crowded, the  Abbot  sent  St.  Bernard  on  a 
mission  to  found  another.  He  wandered 
forth  with  twelve  monks,  and  came  to  a 
wilderness,  which  in  due  time,  by  dint  of 
hard  work,  became  a  smiling  land,  and  on 
it  arose  the  Abbey  of  Clairvaux.  St.  Bernard 
became  the  leading  ecclesiastic  and  politician 
of  his  age,  the  counsellor  of  popes  and  kings, 
and  the  theological  adversary  of  Abelard. 
Worn  out  by  his  fiery  zeal  and  rigorous  life, 


30        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

he  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three.  His  writ- 
ings had  great  authority.  Legend  says  that 
when  he  was  writing  his  famous  "  Homilies 
on  the  Song  of  Solomon,"  in  praise  of  the 
Virgin,  she  herself  appeared  to  him,  and 
moistened  his  lips  with  the  milk  from  her 
bosom,  giving  him  ever  afterwards  super- 
natural eloquence.  He  is  remarkable  for 
his  extreme  devotion  to  the  Virgin,  and 
the  white  habit  of  the  Cistercians  was  said 
to  have  been  adopted  by  her  special  com- 
mand to  him  in  a  vision. 

He  is  represented  in  the  white  habit  of 
the  Cistercians,  carrying  a  book,  or  writing  in 
it,  or  presenting  books  to  the  Madonna.  His 
vision  is  a  favourite  subject,  notable  examples 
being  Fra  Lippo  Lippi's,  in  the  National 
Gallery,  and  Filippino  Lippi's,  in  the  Badia, 
Florence. 

Bernardino,  St.  (of  Siena,  Founder  of  the 

Observants).     {20th  May) 

Born  of  a  noble  family  at  Massa  in  1380. 

When  he  was  yet  a  youth,  plague  broke  out 

in   Siena,  and  many  priests  and  physicians 


CANON    WITH    ST.    MARTIN,    ST.    DONATIAN    AND    ST.    BERNARDINO 

From  the  painting  by  G/iereaert  David,  in  the  Arational  Gallery 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         31 

died.  St.  Bernardino,  assisted  by  some 
other  young  men,  nursed  the  sick  day  and 
night  for  months.  At  twenty-three  he  took 
the  Franciscan  habit,  and  preached  through- 
out Italy  with  marvellous  success.  He  re- 
fused several  bishoprics,  preferring  the 
simple  life  of  a  friar.  He  founded  the  Re- 
formed Order  of  Franciscans,  called  "  Osser- 
vanti,"  because  they  observed  the  original 
Rule  of  St.  Francis.  Always  delicate,  and 
all  too  zealous  for  work,  he  was  taken  ill  at 
Naples,  and  died  at  Aquila.  It  is  said  that, 
while  preaching,  he  used  to  hold  in  his  hand 
a  tablet,  on  which  was  carved  the  sacred 
monogram,  I.H.S.,  encircled  by  rays.  He 
is  generally  regarded  as  the  founder  of  the 
"  Monte-di-Pieta,"  an  institution  for  lending 
money  to  the  poor,  intended  to  protect  them 
from  extortionate  usurers. 

He  is  represented  in  his  Franciscan  habit, 
holding  a  tablet  with  the  Sacred  Monogram, 
I.H.S.,  or  a  "  Monte-di-Pieta,"  composed  of 
three  little  mounds,  with  a  cross,  or  a 
standard,  bearing  a  "  Pieta,"  planted  upon 
it. 


32         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Pictures  by  early  Sienese  artists  at  Siena, 
altar-piece  by  Moretto  of  Brescia  in  the 
National  Gallery.  His  shrine  at  Aquila  is 
notable. 

Bernardo  Dei  Tolomei,  St. 

Born  in  1272,  of  a  noble  Sienese  family, 
he  became  a  distinguished  Professor  of  Law 
in  his  native  city ;  but  in  middle  life  retired 
from  the  world,  to  Monte  Oliveto,  about  ten 
miles  from  Siena.  Here  he  founded  the 
"  Congregation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  of 
Monte  Oliveto,"  or  "Olivetani,"  and  placed 
them  under  the  Rule  of  St.  Benedict.  He 
died  in  1 348. 

He  is  represented  in  the  white  Benedictine 
habit,  with  an  olive  branch  in  his  hand. 

Blaise,  St.  (Ital.  San  Biagio).  (3rd 
February) 
He  was  Bishop  of  Sebaste,  in  Cappadocia, 
and,  according  to  legend,  fled  from  the  per- 
secutions of  Diocletian  to  a  mountain  cave, 
where  lions,  tigers,  and  bears  became  tame 
at  his  approach,  and  visited  him  daily  to  ask 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         33 

his  blessing.  When  wild  beasts  were  wanted 
for  the  amphitheatre,  hunters  came  to  the 
cave,  and  finding  St.  Blaise  and  the  animals 
sitting  at  peace  together  thought  him  a 
wizard,  and  brought  him  before  the  governor. 
On  the  way  he  performed  miracles.  He  was 
scourged  and  imprisoned,  but  continuing  firm 
in  his  faith  he  was  then  stripped,  and,  his 
flesh  having  been  torn  with  the  iron  combs 
used  for  carding  wool,  was  finally  beheaded. 

He  is  represented  as  a  bishop,  with  combs, 
the  instruments  of  his  torture,  as  his  attribute, 
or  in  a  cave  with  wild  animals. 

BONAVENTURA,  ST.("The  Seraphic  Doctor"). 
(14th  July) 

Born  in  Tuscany,  in  1221.  When  an  in- 
fant, and  very  ill,  he  was  laid  by  his  mother 
at  the  feet  of  St.  Francis,  who  exclaimed, 
"  O  buona  ventura,"  and  he  was  cured.  Hence 
his  name.  He  was  brought  up  in  piety,  and 
when  twenty-two  took  the  Franciscan  habit. 
He  went  to  Paris  to  complete  his  studies, 
and  in  a  few  years  became  a  celebrated 
teacher.     Legend  says  that  when,  deeming 


34         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

himself  unworthy,  he  did  not  present  himself 
to  receive  theSacrament,  the  Host  was  brought  ■ 
to  him  by  the  hand  of  an  angel.  Though 
remarkable  for  his  humility,  he  was  greatly 
honoured  by  Louis  IX.,  and  in  1256  became 
General  of  the  Franciscan  Order.  Some 
years  later,  he  was  made  cardinal,  and  Bishop 
of  Albano.  When  two  nuncios  came  from 
Pope  Gregory  X.,  to  present  him  with  the 
cardinal's  hat,  they  found  him  in  the  garden 
of  a  convent  near  Florence,  washing  his  plate 
after  dinner ;  and  he  told  them  to  hang  the 
hat  on  a  tree  till  he  had  finished.  The  great 
council  at  Lyons,  in  1274,  held  to  reconcile 
the  Greek  and  Latin  Churches,  in  which  he 
took  a  leading  part,  proved  too  exhausting 
for  his  strength,  for  he  died  shortly  after. 

He  is  represented  in  the  Franciscan  habit, 
sometimes  in  a  mitre,  or  cardinals  hat,  or 
with  the  latter  hanging  on  a  tree.  Often  he 
carries  the  Host>  or  an  angel  is  giving  it  to 
him. 

Fresco  by  Fra  Angelico  in  the  Chapel  of 
Nicholas  V.  in  the  Vatican ;  picture  by 
Moretto  in  the  Louvre. 


THE    SAINTS   IN   ART         35 

Boniface,  St.  (Primate  of  Germany).     ($th 
June) 

The  monk,  Winfred,  was  born  in  Devon- 
shire, and  taught  in  a  Benedictine  Abbey 
near  Winchester.  In  middle  life  he  conceived 
a  great  desire  to  go  and  preach  the  Gospel  in 
Germany,  and  went  to  Rome  to  solicit  aid 
from  Pope  Gregory  II.  Here  he  changed 
his  name  to  Boniface.  He  then  started  on 
his  mission,  visiting  Thuringia,  Bavaria,  and 
Saxony,  and  in  732  was  created  Primate  of 
all  Germany,  and  soon  afterwards  first  Bishop 
of  Mainz.  In  his  seventy-fourth  year  he  set 
out  again  on  a  missionary  journey,  and, 
with  St.  Ambrose's  "  De  Bono  Mortis"  in 
his  cloak,  -  penetrated  for  the  second  time 
into  Friesland.  There  he  was  murdered 
by  the  pagans.  His  blood-stained  book 
was  exhibited  for  many  centuries  as  a 
relic. 

He  is  represented  as  a  bishop,  in  one 
hand  the  crozier^  in  the  other  a  book  pierced 
by  a  sword,  or  baptising  a  convert,  with 
one  foot  on  a  prostrate  oak,  the  symbol  of 
Druidism. 


36         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Bridget,  St.  (of  Sweden).     {Zth  October) 

Not  to  be  confounded  with  St.  Bridget  of 
Ireland.  She  was  connected  with  the  royal 
family  of  Sweden,  married  to  Ulf  Gud- 
marsson,  and  the  mother  of  eight  children. 
After  her  husband's  death  she  founded  the 
monastery  of  Wastein,  for  sixty  nuns  and 
twenty-four  monks,  under  the  Rule  of  St 
Augustine.  The  nuns  have  always  been 
called  "  Briggittines." 

She  afterwards  went  to  Rome,  where  she 
persuaded  the  Pope  to  introduce  reforms, 
and  dictated  her  celebrated  work  "  Celestial 
Revelations."  After  a  pilgrimage  to  the 
Holy  Land,  she  died  at  Rome,  in  1373, 
was  canonised  in  1391,  and  has  since  been 
regarded  as  one  of  the  Patron  Saints  of 
Sweden. 

She  is  represented  as  of  mature  age, 
in  nun's  attire,  bearing  the  crozier  of  an 
abbess,  and  sometimes  the  pilgrim's  staff 
and  wallet.  A  picture  of  her,  delivering  the 
Rule  of  her  Order,  by  Sogliani  is  in  the  Uffizi, 
Florence. 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         37 

Bruno,  St.  (Founder  of  the  Carthusian 
Order).  (6th  September) 
He  was  born  at  Cologne,  and  educated 
at  Rheims.  Becoming  distinguished  for  his 
ability,  he  was  appointed  teacher  of  theology 
at  Rheims.  Here  he  persuaded  six  of  his 
friends  to  join  him  in  a  life  of  seclusion  and 
penance,  and,  after  giving  away  their  posses- 
sions, they  set  out  for  Grenoble.  In  the 
meantime,  Hugo,  Bishop  of  Grenoble,  had  a 
dream,  in  which  he  saw  seven  stars  move 
before  him,  and  stand  over  a  certain  spot 
in  his  diocese.  When  Bruno  and  his  com- 
panions arrived,  and  asked  him  for  a  retreat 
from  the  world,  he  saw  the  fulfilment  of  his 
dream,  and  gave  them  some  land  at  Char- 
treux,  where  they  founded  a  monastery, 
afterwards  "  La  Grande  Chartreuse."  His 
Rule  was  more  austere  than  that  of  the  other 
Reformed  Benedictines,  and  his  monks  were 
most  industrious,  both  in  cultivating  the  land 
and  in  transcribing  books.  He  went  to  Rome 
to  help  Pope  Urban  II.,  one  of  his  old  pupils  ; 
but,  finding  life  at  the  Papal  Court  uncon- 
genial, retired  to  a  desert  in  Calabria,  where 


38         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

he  founded  "  La  Torre,"  another  convent  of 
his  Order.  There  he  died  in  iioi,  but  was 
not  canonised  till  five  hundred  years  later. 

He  is  represented  with  shaven  head,  in  the 
loose  habit  of  the  Carthusians,  distinguished 
by  the  white  scapular,  hanging  down  before 
and  behind,  and  joined  at  the  sides  by  bands. 

Picture  by  Quercino,  in  Gallery  of  Bologna. 

Catherine,  St.  (Patroness  of  Philosophy, 
Learning,  Schools,  and  Colleges). 
(25///  November) 
Called  St.  Catherine  of  Alexandria,  or  in 
Italian  "delle  Ruote,"  to  distinguish  her  from 
others  of  the  name.  According  to  legend, 
St.  Catherine  was  the  daughter  of  Costis, 
a  brother  of  Constantine  the  Great,  and  of 
Sabinella,  daughter  of  the  King  of  Egypt. 
Very  early  she  showed  signs  of  extraordinary 
ability  and  virtue.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  she 
was  learned  in  the  works  of  Plato,  and  sur- 
passed her  masters,  who  were  the  seven 
wisest  men  of  the  day.  Her  father  died  at 
this  time,  and  she  became  queen,  but  she 
continued  her  life  of  study,  and,  very  much 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         39 

against  the  wishes  of  her  people,  she  refused 
to  marry,  till,  she  said,  a  prince  with  all  the 
virtues  should  come  to  woo  her.     A  vision 
appeared  to  an  old  hermit  in  the  desert  near 
Alexandria,  in  which  the  Virgin  told  him  to 
go  to  Catherine  and  comfort  her,  telling  her 
that  the  Saviour  of  the  world  would  be  her 
bridegroom.     She  asked  what  she  should  do 
to  become  worthy  of  Him,  and  learnt  the 
Christian   faith   from    the    hermit,   and   was 
baptised,  together  with  her  mother.    The  same 
night  the    Son    OF  God    appeared   to   her, 
in  a  vision,  and  put  a  ring  on  her  ringer. 
When  she  saw  it  she  determined  to  give  up 
the  world,  and  live  entirely  for  the  service  of 
the  Church.     Maximin  the  tyrant  now  began 
his  persecutions  of  the  Christians  at  Alex- 
andria,  and    Catherine's    opportunity   came. 
She  argued  so  forcibly  with  Maximin  that 
he  called  together  fifty  of  the  most  learned 
philosophers  of  the  empire,  promising  them 
great  rewards  if  they  could  refute  her.     But 
she  disputed  so  wisely  that,  one  after  another, 
they  acknowledged   themselves   vanquished 
and   accepted    Christianity.     Maximin    con- 


40        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

signed  them  all  to  the  flames,  and,  struck 
by  her  beauty,  had  Catherine  brought  to  his 
palace.  Failing  utterly  in  all  his  attempts 
against  Catherine,  he  ordered  her  to  be 
scourged  and  thrown  into  a  dungeon  ;  but 
her  virtue  and  her  miraculous  preservation 
in  prison  had  such  influence  that  the  Em- 
press and  Porphyry,  a  minion  of  Maximin, 
and  their  attendants,  were,  during  his  absence 
from  home,  converted.  At  this  Maximin 
waxed  more  furious  than  ever ;  he  had  his 
wife,  Porphyry,  and  the  other  converts  put 
to  death,  and  on  Catherine  refusing  with 
scorn  to  become  his  Empress  he  ordered 
her  to  be  bound  on  the  sharp  points  of  four 
revolving  wheels,  and  torn  to  death.  Catherine 
went  out  gladly  to  die,  but  an  angel  came  and 
broke  the  wheels,  the  fragments  of  which 
killed  thousands  of  the  onlookers.  She  was 
then  carried  outside  the  city,  tortured,  and 
finally  beheaded  ;  and  the  angels  came  and 
carried  her  body  away  to  the  top  of  Mount 
Sinai.  These  legends  were  most  popular  in 
Europe  in  the  Middle  Ages,  and  St.  Catherine 
is  a  universal  favourite  in  the  world  of  art. 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         41 

She  is  represented  as  young,  beautiful,  and 
crowned,  with  a  palm,  book,  or  sword  in  her 
hand  ;  but  her  distinguishing  attribute  is  a 
spiked  wheels  often  broken.  In  pictures  of 
the  marriage  of  St.  Catherine  the  wheel  is 
often  omitted  ;  a  ring  is  being  placed  on  her 
finger  by  Christ.  Her  burial  by  angels  is  a 
favourite  subject. 

Her  life  is  illustrated  in  frescoes  by  Maso- 
lino  in  S.  Clemente,  Rome ;  pictures  of  her 
mystical  marriage  by  Borgognoni,  in  the 
National  Gallery,  and  her  martyrdom  and 
burial,  by  Luini,  in  S.  Maurizio  and  in  the 
Brera,  Milan. 

Catherine,  St.  (of  Siena).    (30M  April) 

Born  in  1347,  the  youngest  child  of  a  rich 
dyer  of  Siena.  She  was  a  visionary  from 
early  youth,  and  prayed  that,  like  her  name- 
sake of  Alexandria,  she  might  be  the  Bride 
of  Christ.  After  years  of  ill  treatment  by 
her  family,  because  of  her  extreme  piety  and 
her  refusal  to  marry,  she  sought  admission 
to  the  Third  Order  of  St.  Dominic,  but  still 
lived   in   her   father's   house.     According  to 


42         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

legend  she  endured  severe  temptations,  but 
overcame  them  by  prayer  and  fasting,  and 
went   about   nursing   the   sick.     She   had    a 
vision   of  Christ  bringing  in  his   hands   a 
crown  of  gold  and  a  crown  of  thorns.     She 
chose  the  latter,  and  put  it  on  her  head.     It 
is  also  related  that  one  morning,  when  pray- 
ing before  the  crucifix  in  the  Chapel  of  St. 
Christina  at  Pisa,  she,  like   St.  Francis,  re- 
ceived  the   "  Stigmata."     Her  fame  spread, 
and  she  was  chosen  by  the  Florentines,  who 
had  been  excommunicated  in   1376,  as  their 
mediator   with   the    Pope,  then  at  Avignon. 
It  is  said  that  she  helped  to  persuade  him  to 
return  to  Rome,  which  he  did  the  same  year. 
She   died    at  the  age  of  thirty-three.     Her 
actions  had   great  influence  on  the  political 
history  of  her  time,  and  she  wrote  books  which 
are  among  the  Italian  classics.     Her  last  years 
were  spent  at  Rome,  working  for  the  unity 
and  reformation  of  the  Church. 

She  is  represented  in  the  habit  of  her 
Order,  and  is  at  once  identified  by  the  Stig- 
mata. She  generally  has  a  lifyt  but  often 
a  crown  of  thorns.     She  is   also   sometimes 


ST.    CATHERINE   OF   SIENA 
From,  the  painting  by  Sano  di  Pietro  at  Siena 


THE   SAINTS   IN    ART  43 

painted,  like  her  famous  patroness  and 
namesake,  St.  Catherine  of  Alexandria,  re- 
ceiving the  marriage  ring  from  the  Infant 
Christ. 

Her  portrait,  by  Andrea  di  Vanni,  is  in  San 
Domenico,  Siena,  and  frescoes  and  pictures 
in  her  house  and  in  the  Accademia  there. 

Cecilia,  St.  (Patroness  of  Music).  {22nd 
November) 
Was,  according  to  legend,  the  daughter  of 
noble  Roman  parents,  in  the  reign  of  the 
Emperor  Severus.  They  secretly  professed 
Christianity,  and,  from  her  childhood,  Cecilia 
was  remarkable  for  her  piety.  She  always 
carried  a  copy  of  the  Gospels  concealed  in 
her  robe,  and  vowed  herself  to  Christ  and 
chastity.  She  used  her  great  gift  for  music 
to  the  glory  of  God,  and  invented  the  organ 
for  His  service.  When  she  was  about  sixteen 
her  parents  married  her  to  a  young  Roman 
noble,  Valerian,  whom  she  persuaded  to  re- 
spect her  vows  of  chastity,  and  he  was  con- 
verted to  the  Faith.  He  sought  St.  Urban  in 
the  Catacombs,  and  was   baptised    by  him. 


44         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

When  he  returned,  he  found,  with  his  wife, 
an  angel,  who  crowned  them  both  with  roses 
gathered  in  Paradise.  Valerian,  in  response 
to  the  angel's  offer  to  grant  any  request  of 
his,  asked  that  his  brother,  Tiburtius,  might 
also  be  converted.  Soon  after  Tiburtius 
came  in,  and  noticed  the  scent  of  roses,  but, 
being  still  unconverted,  could  not  see  them. 
Cecilia  then  reasoned  with  him  so  convinc- 
ingly concerning  the  Faith  that  he  also  went 
to  St.  Urban  and  was  baptised.  All  three 
went  about  doing  good,  till  the  Prefect  of 
Rome  ordered  the  two  brothers  to  be  thrown 
into  a  dungeon.  They  were  in  charge  of  a 
centurion,  Maximus,  who  was  converted,  and 
died  with  them  shortly  after.  Cecilia  buried 
them,  and  then  became  the  object  of  the 
Prefect's  tortures.  He  had  her  thrown  into 
a  boiling  bath,  with  flames  under  it,  but  she 
was  unhurt,  so  he  sent  his  executioner,  who 
gave  her  three  wounds  in  the  neck  and  breast, 
and  left  her  half  dead.  She  bequeathed  all 
her  goods  to  the  poor,  desired  St.  Urban  to 
convert  her  house  into  a  place  of  worship  for 
the    Christians ;  then,  after  three  days,  still 


ST.  AGATHA 

ST.  LUCY 


.  AGNES 
BARBARA 


ST.    CECILIA 
From  the  painting  by  II  Moretto  da  Brescia  in  the  Church  of  St.  Clement,  Bn 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         45 

singing  praises  to  God,  she  died.  Her  house 
became  a  church,  which  was  rebuilt  over  her 
remains  in  the  ninth  century,  when  she  ap- 
peared to  Pope  Pascal  I.,  and  told  him  where 
her  body  was  buried.  Later  she  became  the 
Patron  Saint  of  Musicians. 

She  is  represented  with  a  palm,  sometimes 
crowned  with  roses,  and  is  easily  distinguished 
from  other  virgin  martyrs  by  her  organ  or 
other  musical  instrument,  or  roll  of  music. 

Famous  picture  by  Raphael  in  the  Ac- 
cademia,  Bologna,  and  by  the  Van  Eycks  in 
the  Berlin  Museum. 

Charles  Borromeo,  St.    (4/A  November) 

Born  in  1 537, of  a  noble  family  in  Lombardy, 
he  was  dedicated  to  the  Church  from  infancy, 
and  his  uncle,  Pope  Pius  IV.,  made  him  a 
cardinal,  and  Archbishop  of  Milan,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-three.  On  the  death  of  his 
elder  brother  he  left  Rome  for  Milan  to  take 
possession  of  his  estates  and  his  diocese.  He 
lived  in  the  utmost  simplicity,  giving  away 
all  his  property,  and  visited  the  remote  parts 
of  Northern  Italy.     His  moral  standard  was 


46         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

unyielding,  and  he  was  determined  to  put 
down  all  abuses  within  his  jurisdiction.  In 
doing  so  he  made  many  enemies,  and  his 
life  was  attempted.  During  the  severe  out- 
break of  plague  at  Milan,  in  1575,  he 
ministered  personally  to  the  sick,  walked 
barefoot  through  the  city  with  a  halter  round 
his  neck,  and  then  solemnly  knelt  before  the 
crucifix  in  the  cathedral,  offering  himself 
as  a  sacrifice  for  the  people.  He  died  in 
1584. 

He  is  represented  in  late  Italian  pictures 
as  a  cardinal,  with  an  archbishop's  crozier, 
generally  barefoot^  and  with  a  rope  round  his 
neck. 

Christina,  St.  (Patroness  of  Bolsena,  her 
traditional  birthplace).  (24th  July) 
According  to  legend,  her  father  was  a 
Roman  governor  in  the  third  century.  She 
was  early  converted  to  Christianity,  and  dis- 
tributed his  idols  of  gold  and  silver  to  the 
poor.  In  a  rage  he  ordered  her  to  be  beaten 
and  thrown  into  a  dungeon,  but  this  was 
without  avail :  she  remained  firm  in  the  Faith. 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         47 

She  was  then  thrown  into  Lake  Bolsena,  with 
a  millstone  round  her  neck,  but  angels  watched 
over  her,  and  brought  her  safe  to  land.  After 
various  other  tortures  her  father  died,  and  the 
persecution  was  continued  by  his  successor, 
Julian.  He  had  her  tongue  cut  out,  and  tried 
vainly,  in  other  ways,  to  break  her  spirit ;  at 
last  she  was  tied  to  a  post  and  shot  with 
arrows.  So  she  died,  and  was  carried  to 
heaven  by  angels. 

She  is  represented  with  a  palm  and  crown> 
and  sometimes  an  arrow :  her  distinguishing 
attribute  is  a  millstone. 

Picture  by  Vincenzo  Catena  in  S.  Maria, 
Mater  Domini,  Venice. 

Christopher,  St.    (2$thjuty) 

Legend  says  that  he  was  a  giant,  a  native 
of  Canaan.  He  was  so  proud  of  his  size  and 
strength,  that  he  wrould  take  service  with  no 
one  but  the  most  powerful  monarch  in  the 
world.  So  he  set  out  to  find  him,  and  came 
to  the  Court  of  King  Maximus,  renowned  for 
riches  and  power.  He  served  him  till  he 
noticed  that  even  this  great  king  made  the 


48         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

sign  of  the  cross  at  the  mention  of  the  devil ; 
then  he  left  him  and  sought  the  service  of 
Satan,    as    a    more    powerful    ruler.     Satan 
appeared  to  him,  leading  his   armed  hosts, 
and  he  followed  him,  till,  coming  to  a  cross 
by  the  wayside,  Satan  trembled.    Christopher, 
astonished,  inquired  the  reason,  and  finding 
that  Christ  was  more  powerful  than  Satan  he 
sought   Him.     He  found  a  hermit  who  in- 
structed him   in  the  Christian  faith,  but  he 
refused  to  be  bound  by  prayers  and  fastings. 
So  the  hermit  told  him  that  if  he  could  not 
worship  he  could  serve  Christ,  and  sent  him 
to  a  certain  river  where  there  was  a  ford,  and 
told  him  to  carry  over  on  his  shoulders  all 
who  wished  to  cross.     Christopher  rooted  up 
a  palm-tree  for  a  staff,  and  day  and  night 
carried  over  all  who  came  to  the  ford.     One 
night  a  child  came,  and   Christopher  lifted 
him  on  his  shoulders  and  entered  the  river. 
But  the  waters  rose,  and  the  waves  and  wind 
roared,  and  the  child  grew  heavier  and  heavier, 
so  that  he  could  hardly  get  across.    When  at 
last  they  reached  the  bank,  the  child  said  he 
had  carried  over  Him  who  made  the  world, 


ST.    CHRISTOPHER 
Front  the  painting  by  Dierick  Bouts  at  Munich 


"V 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  49 

and  that  his  service  was  accepted,  and  that, 
as  a  token,  if  he  planted  his  staff  in  the 
ground,  in  the  morning  it  would  bear  leaves 
and  fruit.  Then  the  Christ  Child  vanished, 
and  it  happened  as  He  had  said.  And  he 
fell  down  and  worshipped,  and  went  forth  to 
encourage  the  Christians,  calling  his  name 
Christopher,  for  he  had  carried  CHRIST.  After 
many  sufferings  and  tortures,  he  was  im- 
prisoned and  beheaded. 

He  is  represented  as  very  tall  and  strong, 
generally  fording  a  river  with  a  huge  staff  in 
his  hand,  and  carrying  the  Christ  Child  on  his 
shoulders. 

Fresco  by  Titian  in  Palazzo  Ducale,  Venice. 

Chrysostom,  St.  John.     (27th  January) 

The  most  renowned  of  the  Greek  Fathers. 
Born  about  350,  of  noble  parents,  at  Antioch, 
he  began  his  public  life  at  the  bar,  but  while 
still  young  he  left  his  widowed  mother,  and 
passed  several  years  in  the  desert  in  penance. 
Returning  to  Antioch,  worn  out  by  his 
abstinence,  he  was  ordained,  and  became 
renowned  for  his  preaching.    By  the  universal 


# 


50         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

wish  of  the  people  he  was  appointed  Arch- 
bishopof  Constantinople,  in  398,  and  performed 
the  duties  of  his  office  with  the  greatest  vigour 
and  determination.  He  denounced  the  licen- 
tiousness of  his  time,  and  brought  upon  him- 
self the  animosity  of  a  large  section  of  the 
clergy,  and  of  the  Empress  Eudosia.  By 
her  influence  he  was  deposed  and  ultimately 
banished.  He  died  in  exile.  He  wrote  a 
very  great  number  of  homilies,  commentaries, 
and  orations,  and  was  celebrated,  as  his  name 
(golden  mouth)  implies,  for  his  eloquence. 
A  story  is  told  that  in  the  desert  he  went 
on  hands  and  knees,  and  without  clothes,  for 
many  years,  in  expiation  of  a  sin  in  the 
early  days  of  his  ministry. 

He  is  generally  represented  with  the  other 
Greek  Fathers,  distinguished  by  their  names 
inscribed.  Several  pictures  illustrate  the 
legend  of  his  penance. 

Clara,  St.  (Ital.  Santa  Chiara).     (\2th 
A  ugnst) 
The  eldest  daughter  of  a  noble  family  at 
Assisi.     While  very  young,  she   decided   to 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  51 

devote  herself  to  a  religious  life,  but  her 
parents  objected.  However,  she  was  deter- 
mined to  renounce  the  world,  and  one  Palm 
Sunday  she  fled  from  her  father's  house  to 
the  Chapel  of  the  Porzioncula,  where  St. 
Francis  dwelt,  and  put  herself  under  his  care. 
Her  parents  tried  in  vain  to  bring  her  back, 
and  soon  her  younger  sister,  Agnes,  and 
many  other  ladies  of  Assisi,  joined  her ; 
and  the  Order  of  "  Poor  Clares "  was  in- 
stituted. Their  Rule  was  as  severe  as  that 
of  St.  Francis,  and  after  a  time  St.  Clara's 
health  gave  way.  When  the  Saracens  over- 
ran the  neighbourhood  of  Assisi  and  ap- 
proached the  convent,  St.  Clara,  though 
long  bedridden,  rose  up,  and  taking  the 
Pyx,  containing  the  Host,  placed  it  on 
the  threshold,  at  the  same  time  singing  a 
psalm.  The  enemy  fled.  This  miraculous  de- 
liverance brought  great  fame  to  the  Order. 
St.  Clara  died,  after  much  suffering,  in  1253. 

She  is  represented  as  a  nun,  in  a  grey 
habit  with  a  cord,  holding  a  cross  or  lily ; 
but  her  more  distinctive  attribute  is  the  Pyx. 

Frescoes  by  Giotto  in  Santa  Croce,  Flor- 


52         THE   SAINTS    IN   ART 

ence,  and  in  the  Upper  Church  of  San  Fran- 
cesco, Assisi. 

Clement,  St.    (2yd  November) 

A  disciple  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  and  third 
Bishop  of  Rome.  In  the  reign  of  Trajan  he 
was  banished,  together  with  other  Christians, 
to  an  island,  where  they  suffered  great  priva- 
tions and  had  no  water.  According  to  the 
legend,  in  answer  to  St.  Clement's  prayers,  a 
lamb  appeared  to  him  on  a  hill,  and  he,  recog- 
nising it  as  a  vision  from  Heaven,  dug  there, 
and  a  stream  of  water  flowed  forth.  After 
this  miracle  he  was  tied  to  an  anchor  and 
thrown  into  the  sea,  but  in  answer  to  the 
prayers  of  his  followers  the  waters  drew 
back,  and  disclosed  a  small  ruined  temple 
in  which  was  his  body  with  the  anchor  round 
his  neck.  This  miracle  is  said  to  have 
happened  yearly,  and  pilgrims  went  to  wor- 
ship at  the  shrine.  A  woman,  leaving  her  child 
there  asleep,  found  it  the  next  year  unhurt. 

He  is  represented  as  Pope,  often  with  an 
anchor  in  his  hand  or  beside  him. 

Frescoes    in    San    Clemente,   Rome,   and 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  53 

picture  by  Ghirlandaio  in  Accademia,  Flor- 
ence. 

Clotilda,  St.    (3rd  June) 

A  princess  of  Burgundy,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Clovis,  King  of  France.  When  in 
imminent  danger  of  defeat  by  the  Huns, 
Clovis  commended  himself  to  Clotilda's  GOD, 
and,  having  obtained  a  complete  victory,  was 
baptised  by  St.  Remi.  In  consequence  of  a 
vision  by  St.  Clotilda,  the  three  lilies  (fleurs- 
de-lys),  were  substituted  for  the  three  frogs  or 
toads  (crapauds)  in  the  arms  of  France. 

She  is  represented  in  royal  robes,  with 
long  white  veil  and  jewelled  crown  ;  either 
kneeling  in  prayer,  or  bestowing  alms ;  or 
attended  by  an  angel  holding  a  shield  bear- 
ing the  three  fleurs-de-lys. 

Constantine,  Emperor.    (See  St.  Sylvester 
and  St..  Helena.)     (20th  January) 

CONSTANTIUS,  ST.  (Ital.  SAN  CONSTANZO) 
He  was  Bishop  of  Perugia  in  the  third  or 

fourth   century,   and   was    martyred    in   the 

reign  of  Marcus  Aurelius. 

He  is  often  represented  with  San  Ercolano. 


54         THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

Cosmo  and  Damian,  SS.  (Patrons  of  the 
Medici  Family  and  of  Doctors).  (27th 
September) 

Were  two  Arabian  brothers  who  lived  in 
Cilicia.  They  were  brought  up  by  their 
mother  in  every  Christian  virtue,  and,  in 
order  to  help  the  poor  and  sick,  they  studied 
medicine.  They  became  the  most  distin- 
guished physicians,  but  refused  all  payment 
for  their  services.  According  to  the  legend, 
in  the  reign  of  Diocletian  they  were  im- 
prisoned and  then  thrown  into  the  sea,!  but 
an  angel  preserved  them.  Then  they  were 
cast  into  the  fire,  but  were  not  consumed  ; 
and  bound  to  crosses  and  stoned  and  shot 
at,  but  neither  stones  nor  arrows  could  touch 
them,  falling  instead  on  those  who  threw 
them.     Finally  they  were  beheaded. 

They  are  always  represented  together, 
dressed  in  red  robes  with  fur,  the  habit  of 
physicians  ;  they  hold  boxes  or  lancets  in  their 
hands.  Sometimes  they  are  tending  the  sick 
or  performing  operations.  Very  frequently 
introduced    into    paintings     by    Florentine 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  $5 

artists — Fra  Angelico,  Lippo  Lippi,  Botticelli, 
and  others. 

Crispian,  St.  and  Crispianus,  St.    (35/ft 

October) 

Two  brothers,  shoemakers,  who  went  with 
St.  Denis,  preaching  the  Gospel  in  France. 
They  continued  to  work  at  their  trade,  mak- 
ing shoes  for  the  poor  without  fee.  They 
suffered  martyrdom  by  the  sword,  at  Soissons, 
about  300.  They  became  popular  in  England 
as  protectors  of  the  Shoemakers'  Guild. 

They  are  represented  together,  with  their 
cobblers'  tools. 

Cross,  St.  or  Holy  Cross  (Ital.  Santa 
Croce).    (See  St.  Helena.) 

Cunegunda,    St.      (See    St.    Henry    of 
Bavaria.)    (3rd  March) 

Cuthbert,  St.    (2,0th  March) 

A  shepherd  in  the  valley  of  the  Tweed, 
who  entered  the  monastery  of  Melrose, 
and  afterwards  dwelt  for  some  years  as 
an  anchorite  on  Lindisfarne,  or  Holy  Island, 


56         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

then  a  barren  islet  off  the  coast  of  Northum- 
berland. At  length  he  became  Bishop  of 
Lindisfarne,  then  the  seat  of  the  Northumbrian 
bishopric.  Many  wonders  are  recorded  of 
him.  After  his  death  the  see  was  removed 
to  Durham,  where  his  relics  found  their 
ultimate  resting-place. 

He  is  represented  as  a  bishop,  with  an 
otter  at  his  side,  signifying  his  living  in  the 
midst  of  waters,  or  in  allusion  to  the  legend 
that  one  night,  when  he  lay  exhausted  by  his 
penance  on  the  cold  shore,  two  otters,  by  lick- 
ing him,  revived  his  benumbed  limbs.  But 
his  more  distinctive  attribute  is  the  crowned 
head  of  King  Oswald^  carried  in  his  arms. 

Cyprian,  St.  (Bishop  of  Carthage).    (i6tk 
September) 
A  celebrated  Father  of  the  Church,  ^who 
was  martyred  in  the  reign  of  Valerian. 

Cyprian,  St.  (the    Magician,  of  Antioch). 
(26th  September) 
Who,  according  to  the  legend,  was  called 
upon  by  Aglaidos,  the  lover  of  St.  Justina,  to 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  57 

help  him  to  win  her  from  her  devotion  to 
Christianity.  Cyprian  himself  fell  in  love 
with  her,  but  no  tortures  of  his  demons  could 
move  her,  and  when  they  acknowledged 
themselves  powerless  he  was  converted  to 
the  service  of  Justina's  God.  Together 
they  preached  and  taught,  and  together 
they  were  beheaded,  by  command  of  Dio- 
cletian. 

He  is  represented  with  palm  and  sword ; 
trampling  on  magical  books ;  generally  with 
St.  Justina. 

Cyril,  St.  (of  Alexandria).     (28M  January) 
One  of  the  Greek   Fathers,  generally  re- 
presented with   the  other  four,  and   distin- 
guished in  Byzantine  art  by  name. 

Damian,  St.    (See  St.  Cosmo.) 

Denis,    St.    (of  France).     Dionysius,   St. 

(the  Areopagite).  (Ital.  San  DlONlSIO 

or  DlONlGl.)     {$rd  October) 

An  extraordinary  legend   identifies  these 

two  saints,  the  Bishop  of  Paris  ia  the  third 


58         THE   SAINTS    IN   ART 

century  with  the  convert  of  St.  Paul!  It 
says  that  Dionysius  became  the  first  Bishop 
of  Athens,  and,  after  the  martyrdom  of  St. 
Paul,  was  sent  by  St.  Clement  to  France,  with 
SS.  Rusticus  and  Eleutherius  as  his  fellow- 
workers.  He  settled  in  Paris,  and  sent 
missionaries  throughout  France,  and  even  to 
Germany.  He  was  accused  to  the  Emperor 
Trajan,  who  sent  a  proconsul  to  Paris  to  arrest 
him,  and  he  was  beheaded,  together  with  his 
two  companions,  and  their  bodies  thrown  to 
the  wild  beasts.  But  St.  Denis  rose  to  his 
feet,  and,  taking  up  his  head,  walked,  angels 
singing  by  the  way,  to  the  Mount  of  Martyrs 
(Montmartre),  where  the  three  bodies  were 
buried.  He  became  the  Patron  Saint  of  the 
French  Monarchy  in  the  reign  of  King 
Dagobert,  and  his  name  the  war-cry.  The 
Neoplatonic  writings  "  On  the  Celestial 
Hierarchy"  were  ascribed  to  him  in  the 
Middle  Ages. 

He  is  represented  as  a  bishop,  often  carry- 
ing his  head as  his  attribute,  but  several  other 
less  important  saints  are  occasionally  thus 
depicted. 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  59 

With  other  saints  in  Ghirlandaio's  picture 
in  Accademia,  Florence. 

Diego,  San  (d'Alcala).  (S.  Didacus  or 
DlDACE.)  {i^th  November) 
A  Capuchin  monk  at  Alcala,  in  Spain,  in 
the  fifteenth  century.  He  was  canonised  at 
the  request  of  Philip  II.  in  1588.  Many 
miracles  are  recorded  of  him.  He  is  said  to 
have  acted  as  cook  to  his  monastery,  and  on 
one  occasion,  when  detected  giving  away 
bread  to  the  poor,  on  opening  his  tunic,  the 
loaves  were  found  converted  to  roses. 

Dominic,  St.  (Ital.  San  Domenico  ;  Span. 
San  Domingo).  (4/A  August) 
The  Founder  of  the  famous  Dominican 
Order.  He  was  born  at  Calaruga,  in  Castile, 
in  1 1 70.  Legend  says  that  before  his  birth 
his  mother  dreamt  that  she  brought  forth 
a  black  and  white  dog,  carrying  in  his 
mouth  a  burning  torch.  Also  that  at  his 
christening  his  godmother  saw  a  star  de- 
scend from  heaven  and  settle  on  his  brow. 
After  studying  at  Valencia,  he  assumed  the 


60         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

habit  of  a  canon  of  St  Augustine,  and 
was  soon  distinguished  for  his  learning  and 
vigour.  In  1207  he  went  to  Rome,  and  ob- 
tained permission  from  the  Pope  to  preach 
in  the  south  of  France  against  the  Albi- 
genses.  There  he  disputed,  and  upheld  the 
Church.  What  share  he  had  in  the  actual 
crusade  and  suppression  of  the  heretics  is 
doubtful.  St.  Dominic  joined  to  himself 
several  other  preachers,  who  went  with  him 
on  his  missions,  and  out  of  this  association 
his  Order  sprang.  During  his  stay  in 
Languedoc  he  is  said  to  have  introduced 
the  rosary,  which  had  great  influence  in 
exciting  the  devotion  of  the  people.  In 
12 1 8  he  came  to  Rome  and  instituted  the 
Order  of  Dominican  Nuns.  He  then  founded 
convents  in  various  cities  of  Europe,  preach- 
ing with  great  enthusiasm  till  his  death  at 
Bologna,  in  1221.  Stories  of  St.  Dominic's 
visions  and  miracles  are  numerous.  When 
in  Rome  he  had  a  vision  of  St.  Peter  and 
St.  Paul,  who  gave  him  a  staff  and  the 
Gospel,  saying  :  "  Go,  and  preach  the  word 
of  GOD."      When    arguing   with    the   Albi- 


ST.    DOMINIC 

From  the  f>ai?iting  by  Giovanni  Bellini  in  the  Natiojial  Gallery 


THE   SAINTS   IN    ART         61 

genses  he  threw  his  book  into  the  flames, 
and  it  leaped  up  three  times  from  the  fire. 
One  day  as  he  sat  with  his  friars  in  the 
refectory,  with  nothing  to  eat,  two  angels 
appeared  to  him,  bringing  food  and  wine. 
On  more  than  one  occasion  he  restored  the 
dead  to  life.  His  Order  is  particularly  dis- 
tinguished in  the  history  of  art,  for  several 
friars  belonging  to  it  were  themselves  painters 
of  the  greatest  merit,  especially  Fra  Angelico 
and  Fra  Bartolomeo. 

He  is  represented  in  the  habit  of  his  Order, 
black  cloak  over  white  tunic.  Generally  with 
a  star  on  his  forehead  and  a  lily  in  his  hand. 
Sometimes  a  dog  with  a  flaming  torch  in 
its  mouth  is  his  attribute. 

Frescoes  by  Fra  Angelico  in  San  Marco, 
Florence;  sculptures  on  his  tomb  at  Bol- 
ogna by  Fra  Guglielmo  ;  frescoes  in  Spanish 
Chapel,  S.  Maria  Novella,  Florence. 

Donatus,  St.  (of  Arezzo). 

Of  noble  birth,  he  was  educated  with  the 
Emperor  Julian  ;  but  when  Julian  apostatised 
to  paganism  Donatus  took  refuge  at  Arezzo, 


62         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

of  which  he  became  bishop.  He  and  his 
companion,  the  monk  Hilarion,  performed 
many  miracles,  healing  the  sick,  and  ex- 
orcising demons.  They  both  suffered  mar- 
tyrdom, Hilarion  being  scourged  to  death, 
and  Donatus  tortured  and  decapitated. 
Their  bodies  lie  under  the  high  altar  of  the 
cathedral,  where  their  shrine  has  sculptures 
by  Giovanni  di  Francesco  of  Arezzo  and 
Betto  di  Francesco  of  Florence  (1369-1375) 

Dorothea,  St.    (6th  February) 

A  virgin  martyr  of  the  Greek  Church.  A 
native  of  Cappadocia.  For  her  devotion  to 
Christianity  she  was  persecuted  by  Fabricius 
the  Governor,  tortured  and  imprisoned,  but 
she  was  immovable,  and  was  finally  con- 
demned to  be  beheaded.  As  she  was  led 
forth  to  die,  a  young  man,  Theophilus, 
mocked  at  her  and  said :  "  Send  me  some  of 
the  fruit  and  flowers  from  that  garden  you 
speak  of,  where  you  are  going  to  your  bride- 
groom !  "  Dorothea  smiled,  and  said  :  "  Thy 
request  is  granted."  When  she  was  on  the 
point   of   death   an    angel   appeared   beside 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  63 

her  with  a  basket  containing  three  apples 
and  three  roses,  and  she  ordered  them  to 
be  carried  to  Theophilus.  He,  greatly 
astonished,  ate  of  the  fruit,  and  became  a 
servant  of  CHRIST,  even  to  the  death  of 
martyrdom. 

She  is  represented  as  young  and  beautiful, 
with  roses  as  her  distinguishing  attribute, 
sometimes  an  attendant  angel  carries  the 
flowers  and  fruit. 

Dunstan,  St.     (19/A  May) 

Born  in  924,  and  educated  at  the  Abbey 
of  Glastonbury,  where  he  became  a  monk. 
He  was  a  favourite  of  King  Athelstan,  and 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  in  the  reign  of 
Edgar.  The  important  part  he  played  in 
the  history  of  the  period  is  well  known. 

Edmund,  St.  (King  and  Martyr).  {20th 
November) 
A  king  of  the  East  Angles,  who,  after 
being  defeated  in  battle  by  the  Danes,  in 
870,  was  shot  at  with  arrows,  and  then  be- 
headed.      The    story    runs    that    when    his 


64         THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

followers  sought  for  his  body  they  found 
a  huge  grey  wolf  reverently  watching  over 
it.  They  bore  it  away,  the  wolf  quietly 
following,  and  interred  it  at  the  town  since 
called  Bury  St.  Edmund's,  where  his  shrine 
became  famous,  and  a  place  of  pilgrimage. 
He  is  represented  with  an  arrow  in  his 
hand  ;  sometimes  the  grey  wolf  crouches  at 
his  feet. 

Edward  the  Confessor,  St.  ( i  ith  October) 
His  history  as  king  of  England  need  not 
here  be  dealt  with.  He  is  the  subject  of 
many  legends,  of  which  the  following  is  the 
most  important.  One  day,  returning  from 
Mass  at  Westminster,  he  gave  his  ring  to  a 
pilgrim,  who  asked  an  alms  for  the  love  of 
God  and  St.  John.  Twenty-four  years  later, 
two  English  pilgrims,  returning  from  the 
Holy  Land,  met  another  pilgrim,  who  an- 
nounced himself  to  them  as  St.  John,  and 
sent  word  by  them  to  King  Edward,  that 
he  thanked  him  for  his  alms,  and  that  in 
six  months  he  should  be  with  him  for  ever. 
This  message  gave  the  King  great  joy,  and 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         65 

he    died,    as     predicted,    on     5th    January 
1066. 

He  is  represented  crowned,  in  royal  robes, 
the  sceptre  (surmounted  with  a  dove)  in  one 
hand,  in  the  other  the  ring  of  St.  John. 

Elizabeth,   St.   (mother  of  St.   John   the 
Baptist,  Biblical).     (\oth  February) 

Elizabeth,   St.   (of  Hungary).     (\oth  No- 
vember) 

Born  in  1207,  daughter  of  Andreas  II., 
King  of  Hungary,  she  became  in  the 
Middle  Ages  the  traditional  type  of  female 
charity.  Even  from  babyhood  she  showed 
extreme  virtue,  and  when  about  four  was 
betrothed  to  Prince  Louis  of  Thuringia. 
Brought  up  at  the  court  of  her  future  hus- 
band, whose  relations  mocked  at  her  piety, 
she  was  in  due  time  married  to  him.  She 
continued  her  life  of  devotion  and  charity, 
giving  away  even  the  royal  mantle  from  her 
shoulders  to  a  beggar,  and  visiting  the  poor 
and  sick.     It  was  related  that  one  day,  find- 

E 


66         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

ing  a  child  with  leprosy  cast  out  from  his 
home,  she  took  him  in  her  arms  to  the  castle 
and  laid  him  in  her  own  bed.  When  her 
husband  returned,  he  went,  with  reproaches 
on  his  lips,  and  lifted  the  coverlet  from  the 
child.  To  their  astonishment  in  its  place 
lay  the  Infant  CHRIST,  who  smiled  and 
vanished.  Another  day  Louis  met  her 
carrying  in  her  robe  a  supply  of  food  for 
the  poor.  She  was  ashamed  when  he  asked 
her  what  she  was  carrying,  but  when  he  in- 
sisted on  looking,  nothing  was  there  but  red 
and  white  roses.  So  her  charities  continued. 
At  length  Louis  was  called  upon  to  go  on 
the  Third  Crusade,  and,  to  their  great  grief, 
parting  was  inevitable.  He  never  returned, 
and  his  brothers  seized  his  domains,  and 
turned  Elizabeth  and  her  four  children  out 
of  their  home  in  midwinter.  Later  on  her 
son  was  reinstated,  but  St.  Elizabeth  gave 
herself  up  to  a  life  of  piety  and  the  most 
rigorous  penance,  till  she  died,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four. 

She    is    generally    represented    crowned, 
sometimes   as   a   nun,  with   her   lap  full  of 


THE   SAINTS   IN    ART  67 

bread,  or  of  roses,  and  often  giving  charity 
to  a  beggar,  or  a  sick  child. 

Fresco  by  Giotto  in  Santa  Croce,  Florence. 

Eloy,  St.,  or  St.   Loo  (Lat.  S.  Eligius; 

Ital.  Sant'  Alo  or  Lo   or   Eligio) 

(Patron  of  Goldsmiths,  Blacksmiths, 

and  Workers  in  Metal).   {\st December) 

A  goldsmith  at  Limoges,  in  the  seventh 

century.      He  went  to  Paris,  where,  by  his 

skill    as  a   workman,  he   won   great   favour 

with    King   Clotaire    II.,  and    his    successor, 

King   Dagobert,    both    of  whom    employed 

him    in    affairs    of    State.      He    afterwards 

became    Bishop   of    Noyon,   but,   according 

to   the    legend,    still    worked    at   his    trade, 

making    shrines     and     Church     ornaments. 

He  was  much  beset  by  the  devil,  who  even 

took  possession  of  a  horse  brought  to  him 

to  be  shod,  which  was  so  unmanageable  that 

the  bystanders  fled  ;  but  St.  Eloy  cut  off  its 

leg,  fixed  on  the  shoe,  and  then,  making  the 

sign  of  the  cross,  replaced  it  on  the  body. 

He  is  represented  either  as  a  bishop  or  as 
a   smith ;    in   either   case  generally   accom- 


68         THE   SAINTS    IN    ART 

panied  by  his  smith's  tools — tongs,  hammer, 
or  bellows. 

Bas-relief  by  Nanni  di  Banco  outside  Or 
San  Michele,  Florence. 

Ephrem,  St.  (of  Edessa).     (July  9th) 

One   of  the   early  hermits  of  Syria.     He 

wrote   homilies  and  epistles,  which  were  of 

great  authority. 

He  is  represented  in  pictures  of  the  hermit 

life. 

Erasmus,  St.  (Ital.  Sant'  Elmo  or 
Erasmo;  Span.  Sant.  Ermo  or 
Eramo  ;  Fr.  St.  Elme).     (2nd  June) 

A  bishop  in  Southern  Italy,  martyred 
under  Diocletian  and  Maximian.  His  in- 
domitable fortitude  under  torture  caused 
a  new  and  awful  death  to  be  invented  for 
him.  He  was  cut  open,  and  his  entrails 
wound  on  a  sort  of  wheel  like  that  used 
for  winding  wool. 

He  is  represented  as  a  bishop,  old,  and 
with  a  wheel  as  his  attribute,  or  suffering 
martyrdom. 


THE   SAINTS   IN    ART  69 

ERCOLANO,  St.  (Bishop  of  Perugia  about 
546).     (1  si  March) 

During  the  siege  by  the  Goths  under 
Totila,  he  helped  and  encouraged  the  people. 
On  the  taking  of  the  city  he  was  beheaded 
on  the  ramparts,  and  his  body  thrown  into 
a  ditch  ;  it  was  afterwards  found  and  buried. 

Frescoes  by  Benedetto  Bonfigli  in  picture 
gallery,  Perugia. 

Etheldreda,  St.    (June  23rd). 

Daughter  of  Ina,  King  of  East  Anglia. 
She  was  married  at  an  early  age  to  Toubert, 
a  prince  of  the  Fenland,  and  afterwards  to 
Egfrid,  King  of  Northumbria,  but,  after  some 
years,  obtained  his  permission  to  withdraw 
from  the,  world,  and  take  the  veil  at  Cold- 
ingham. 

The  next  year  she  founded  her  celebrated 
monastery  on  her  own  lands  at  Ely. 

Eulalia,  St.   (A   Spanish   virgin   martyr). 
(10M  December) 
When  the  edict  of  Diocletian  was  published, 
she  fled,  at  the  age  of  twelve,  from  her  mother's 


7o         THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

house,  and  reproached  the  prefect  for  his 
cruelty.  She  was  tortured  and  put  to  death. 
As  she  died,  a  white  dove  issued  from  her 
mouth  and  flew  to  heaven. 

There  is  also  St.  Eulalia  of  Barcelona,  with 
a  similar  story,  evidently  confused  with  this 
one. 

A  very  early  representation  is  in  the 
procession  of  virgin  martyrs  at  Rav- 
enna. 

Euphemia,  St.     (16th  September) 

Suffered  martyrdom  at  Chalcedonia,  in 
Bithynia,  at  the  beginning  of  the  fourth 
century.  She  was  thrown  to  the  flames,  and 
then  to  the  lions,  but  both  were  miraculously 
rendered  harmless,  and  she  was  then  run 
through  with  a  sword.  A  description  of  a 
picture  of  her,  contained  in  a  homily  by 
Asterius,  Bishop  of  Amasea,  in  Pontus,  about 
350-400,  is  still  extant. 

She  is  represented  with  a  palm,  or  a  lily, 
and  with  a  lion. 

Picture  at  Naples,  formerly  ascribed  to 
Mantegna. 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  71 

Eustace,  St.    (20th  September) 

A  Roman  soldier,  and  captain  of  the 
guards,  under  the  Emperor  Trajan.  Ac- 
cording to  the  legend,  he  was  devoted  to 
the  chase,  and  one  day,  when  pursuing  a 
stag,  he  saw  between  its  horns  a  crucifix 
shining,  and  heard  a  voice  saying  :  "  Thou 
shalt  suffer  many  things  for  my  sake."  He, 
his  wife,  and  two  sons,  were  baptised,  and 
soon  afterwards  came  to  extreme  poverty. 
By  various  accidents  he  lost  both  his  wife 
and  sons.  After  many  years  he  was  re- 
stored, during  the  reign  of  Hadrian,  to  all 
his  honours  ;  and  his  wife  and  two  sons  re- 
turned to  him,  rescued  miraculously  from 
pirates  and  wild  beasts.  But  on  the  occasion 
of  a  Roman  victory  they  refused  to  join  in  a 
sacrifice,  and,  by  order  of  the  Emperor,  were 
shut  up  in  a  brazen  bull,  and  burnt  to 
death. 

He  is  represented  as  a  Roman  soldier,  or 
an  armed  warrior,  the  stag  with  the  crucifix 
being  near  him.  His  military  dress  dis- 
tinguishes him  from  St.  Hubert.  Pictures 
of  the  martyrdom  are  also  to  be  met  with. 


72         THE   SAINTS    IN   ART 

Picture  by  Vittore  Pisano  in  the  National 
Gallery. 

Evangelists  (Biblical) 

The  Four  Evangelists  are  very  frequent 
in  pictorial  art.  In  early  times  they  were 
represented  as  four  books,  or  as  four  rivers 
issuing  from  Paradise.  Later  the  four  living 
creatures  of  Ezekiel,  and  the  four  beasts  of 
the  Apocalypse,  were  taken  to  represent  the 
Four  Evangelists ;  St.  Matthew  with  the 
face  of  a  man,  representing  Christ  as  man  ; 
St.  Mark  as  a  lion  ;  St.  Luke  as  an  ox  ; 
and  St.  John  as  an  eagle,  for  he  soared  in 
contemplation  of  the  Divine.  The  four 
combined  in  one  make  a  "  Tetramorph." 
Separately  they  are  commonly  depicted 
as  winged,  and  each  holding  a  book ; 
and  in  later  times  as  men  with  heads 
of  the  symbolic  animals,  or  attended  by 
the  animals  as  emblems,  or,  omitting 
the  symbol,  as  men,  each  holding  his 
Gospel. 

Fresco   in   Spanish  Chapel,   Santa   Maria 
Novella  ;    Raphael's    "  Vision     of    Ezekiel," 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  73 

and  Fra  Bartolomeo's  "  Risen  Christ "  in  Pitti, 
Florence. 

FAUSTlNUSand  JoviTA,  SS.  (i$th  February) 
Patron  Saints  of  Brescia.  Two  brothers 
who  suffered  martyrdom  under  Hadrian 
about  120.  They  are  often  associated  in 
pictures  with  St.  Apollonius,  Bishop  of 
Brescia. 

Felicitas,  St.  (10th  July  and  2^rd 
November) 

During  the  persecutions  in  the  reign  of 
Marcus  Aurelius,  a  rich  Roman  widow,  the 
mother  of  seven  virtuous  sons,  was  brought 
before  the  tribunal  of  Publius  the  Prefect. 
One  by  one  her  sons  were  led  forth,  tortured, 
and  then  put  to  various  painful  deaths  be- 
fore her  eyes.  To  increase  her  suffering,  she 
was  then  imprisoned  for  four  months,  before 
she  too  was  brought  out  to  torture  and  death. 
The  story  closely  resembles  that  of  the 
Jewish  matron  in  the  Second  Book  of  the 
Maccabees. 

She  is  represented  hooded,  or  veiled,  as  a 


74         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

widow,  with  a.paltn,  generally  with  her  seven 
sons  as  attributes. 

Felix,    St.    (of    Cantalicio).      (Ital.     San 

Felice),  (the  first  saint  of  the  Order 

of  Capuchins).     (21st  May) 

Born  in   Umbria,  in    1513.       He  lived   in 

the  monastery  at  Rome,  and  spent  his  time 

in   begging    for   its   needs.      A   legend    says 

that   one   stormy  night,  when  on  his  usual 

errand,   a   radiant    child    appeared    to    him, 

and  gave  him  a  loaf  of  bread   as  an  alms, 

and  then,  with   a  benediction,  vanished. 

He  is  represented  in  the  Capuchin  habit, 
carrying  a  beggar's  wallet. 

Ferdinand  of  Castile,  St.    (30M  May) 

The  son  of  Alfonso,  King  of  Leon,  and 
Berengaria  of  Castile.  He  vowed  never  to 
draw  his  sword  against  the  Christians,  but 
fought  with  great  success  against  the  Moors, 
driving  them  out  of  a  large  part  of  Spain. 
At  the  battle  of  Xeres,  Santiago  himself  is 
said  to  have  appeared,  fighting  for  him. 
His  only  daughter,  Eleanor,  who  inherited 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  75 

her  father's  virtues,  married  Edward  I.  of 
England.  He  died  in  1252,  and  was  canon- 
ised in  1668. 

He  is  represented  in  Spanish  art  in 
armour,  crowned,  holding  a  sword,  or  an 
orb. 

Fina,  St. 

Patron  Saint  of  San  Gimignano  in  Tuscany. 
A  poor  girl,  who  patiently  endured  cruel 
sufferings  from  disease,  lying  upon  an  oaken 
plank.  She  was  warned  of  her  approaching 
release  by  a  vision  of  St.  Gregory,  and  died  in 
1253,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  when  all  the  bells 
of  the  town  rang  of  their  own  accord,  and  her 
room  was  found  full  of  flowers.  Her  dead 
hand  cured  her  nurse  of  a  grievous  malady. 

She  is  sometimes  represented  lying  on  her 
board,  and  beholding  the  apparition  of  St. 
Gregory  above  her. 

Her  life  is  illustrated  by  frescoes  by  Dom- 
enico  Ghirlandaio  in  the  Collegiate  Church  of 
San  Gimignano,  where  her  feast  is  still  cele- 
brated, every  five  years,  on  the  first  Sunday 
in  August. 


76         THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

Flavia,  St.    (See  St.  Benedict.) 

Florian,  St.     {^th  May) 

A  native  of  Ems,  and  one  of  the  eight 
Tutelar  Saints  of  Austria.  He  was  a  Roman 
soldier,  who  professed  Christianity,  and  was 
martyred  in  the  reign  of  Galerius,  being 
thrown  into  the  River  Ems  with'  a  stone 
tied  round  his  neck.  Many  miracles  are 
recorded  of  him,  among  them  that  he 
extinguished  a  conflagration  with  a  pitcher- 
ful  of  water. 

Francesca  Romana,  St.    (gth  March) 

Born  in  Rome,  in  1384,  and  married  to  a 
rich  noble.  She  was  distinguished  for  her 
virtue  and  piety.  The  legend  of  her  is  char- 
acteristic. Though  unwearied  in  her  devo- 
tions, yet  if  called  away  by  her  husband,  or 
by  any  domestic  duty,  she  would  close  her 
book,  saying :  "  A  wife  and  a  mother,  when 
called  upon,  must  quit  her  GOD  at  the  altar, 
and  find  Him  in  her  household/'  Once, 
when  reciting  the  Office  of  the  Virgin,  she 
was  called  away  four  times,  always  at  the 


THE   SAINTS    IN   ART  77 

same  verse,  and  returning  the  fifth  time  she 
found  that  verse  written  on  the  page  in  letters 
of  gold  by  the  hand  of  her  guardian  angel. 
On  her  husband's  death,  she  joined  an 
Olivetan  congregation  of  Benedictine  nuns, 
and  became  their  Superior,  living  in  great 
sanctity  till  she  died. 

She  is  represented  as  a  Benedictine  nun, 
with  her  guardian  angel,  and  holding  the 
book  of  the  Office  of  the  Virgin  in  her 
hand. 

Francis  St.  (of  Assisi).  (Ital.  Francesco.) 
{17th  September  and  4th  October) 
This  famous  saint,  the  Founder  of  the 
Franciscan  Order,  was  born  at  Assisi  in 
1 182.  His  father  was  Pietro  Bernadone,  a 
silk  and  wool  merchant,  and  it  is  said  that 
he  had  his  son  taught  French  at  an  early  age 
for  the  sake  of  his  trade,  and  that  in  con- 
sequence the  boy's  companions  called  him 
Francesco,  though  he  was  christened  Gio- 
vanni. As  a  youth  he  was  gay  and  worldly, 
but  a  grievous  illness  caused  him  to  turn  to 
serious  thoughts,  and  he  determined  to  retire 


78         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

from  the  world.  While  he  knelt  before  the 
crucifix  in  the  Church  of  St.  Damiano  he 
heard  a  voice  saying :  "  Francis,  repair  my 
Church" ;  and  he  at  once  set  to  work  to 
raise  money  for  this  purpose,  and  practised 
such  austerities  that  he  was  thought  mad. 
His  father  tried  to  restrain  him,  and  brought 
him  before  the  Bishop  of  Assisi,  but  he 
abjured  his  parents,  his  heritage,  and  all 
his  possessions,  stripping  off  even  his  clothes 
in  his  enthusiasm  for  poverty.  He  then 
wandered  barefoot  over  the  mountain  wilds, 
praising  God  for  the  earth  his  mother,  and 
the  moon  his  sister,  and  had  for  his  com- 
panions the  flowers  and  the  stars.  Thus 
prepared,  he  set  out  on  his  mission.  Very 
soon  he  had  many  followers,  stirred  by  his 
enthusiasm,  and  he  found  it  necessary  to 
bind  them  together  by  a  rule  of  life.  Ab- 
solute poverty  was  the  first  condition.  In 
1210  St.  Francis  went  to  Rome,  and  after 
some  difficulty  obtained  the  sanction  of  Pope 
Innocent  III.  to  the  institution  of  his  Order. 
Ten  years  later  the  number  of  his  friars  had 
grown   to    5000,  and  missionaries  went  out 


ST.    FRANCIS    PREACHING   TO    THE    BIRDS 
From  the  fresco  by  Giotto  di  Bordone  in  the  Upper  Church  at  Assist 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         79 

into  various  countries.  He  himself  then 
went  to  Egypt  to  preach  to  the  Ma- 
hometans, and  was  brought  before  the 
Sultan.  He  offered  to  throw  himself  into 
the  flames,  on  condition  that  the  Sultan  and 
his  people  would  become  Christians,  but  he 
was  sent  back  to  Italy  without  hurt,  and 
without  a  convert,  though  five  of  his  mission- 
aries were  martyred  in  Morocco.  A  few 
years  after  his  return  he  resigned  his  office 
of  Superior  at  Assisi,  and  again  retired  to 
the  mountains,  where  he  spent  his  days  in 
prayer  and  contemplation.  Here  he  had  his 
celebrated  vision  of  CHRIST  crucified,  and 
received  the  "  Stigmata,"  or  "  Five  Wounds," 
in  his  hands,  feet,  and  side.  He  died  in 
1226,  and  was  canonised  two  years  later, 
when  the  foundation  of  his  great  church  at 
Assisi  was  laid. 

Legends  of  his  life  and  visions  are  in- 
numerable. Those  most  often  represented, 
besides  the  incidents  just  mentioned,  are : 
his  vision  of  the  Virgin  coming  down  and 
placing  the  Divine  Child  in  his  arms ;  his 
meeting   and    espousing    Poverty,   Chastity, 


8o         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

and  Obedience,  as  three  poor  maidens  ;  his 
preaching  to  the  birds ;  and  his  death  in  the 
midst  of  his  friars. 

He  is  represented  in  the  grey  or  brown 
habit  of  his  Order,  with  a  knotted  cordy  often 
with  a  crucifix ,  and  is  always  clearly  dis- 
tinguished by  the  Stigmata. 

Frescoes  by  Giotto  and  his  followers  at 
Santa  Croce,  Florence,  and  at  Assisi ;  by 
Benozzo  Gozzoli  at  Montefalco,  and  by 
Ghirlandaio  in  Santa  Trinita,  Florence. 

Francis  Borgia,  St.    {\oth  October) 

Duke  of  Gandia,  in  Spain.  He  held  high 
office  under  Charles  V.,  but  gave  up  the 
world,  and  joined  the  Jesuits.  In  1555  he 
became  the  third  General  of  the  Order. 

He  is  represented  in  Spanish  art  in  his 
Jesuit  habit. 

Francis  de  Paula,  St.    (2nd  April) 

The  founder  of  the  Reformed  Franciscan 
Order  of  the  Minimes.  He  was  born  at 
Paola,  in   Calabria,  and  from  infancy  dedi- 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  81 

cated  by  his  parents  to  a  religious  life.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  became  a  hermit  in  a 
cave  near  Reggio.  In  course  of  time  others 
joined  him  ;  cells  and  a  chapel  were  built, 
and  in  1436  he  instituted  the  "  Hermits  of  St. 
Francis,"  or  "  Minimes,"  so  called  as  being 
the  least  of  all  in  the  Church  of  God.  Such 
was  the  fame  of  his  sanctity  that  he  was 
sent  for  to  visit  Louis  XI.  on  his  death- 
bed at  Plessis-le-Tours.  After  the  death 
of  Louis  he  remained  at  the  French 
Court,  where  he  had  considerable  influence 
during  the  reigns  of  Charles  VIII.  and 
Louis  XII.  He  died  at  Plessis-le-Tours  in 
1507. 
Picture  in  S.  Andrea  delle  Fratte,  Rome. 

Francis  Xavier,  St.     {3rd  December) 

Born  of  noble  family  at  his  father's  castle 
among  the  Pyrenees.  He  went  to  Paris  to 
study  theology,  and  there  became  the  friend 
and  associate  of  Loyola.  He  joined  the 
Jesuit  community,  and  was  sent  as  a  mission- 
ary to  Goa  in  India.  He  spent  the  rest 
of  his  wonderful  and   laborious  life  in   the 

F 


82         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

East,  and,  after  encountering  many  hardships 
and  obstacles,  he  died  in  an  attempt  to  reach 
China. 


Frediano,  St.  (of  Lucca).     (See  St.  Reg- 

ULUS.) 

Gabriel,  St.  (the  Archangel,  primarily  the 
messenger  angel).     (iStk  March) 

He  foretold  the  birth  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist,  and  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  but  his 
chief  importance  in  art  is  as  the  Angel  of  the 
Annunciation. 

He  is  represented  winged,  generally  with 
a  lily,  sometimes  with  a  sceptre  or  scroll 
in  his  hand. 

Geminianus,  St.  (Bishop  of  Modena  about 
450,  and  Patron  Saint  of  that  city). 
(31  st  January  and  ^th  April) 

When  Modena  was  threatened  by  Attila, 
King  of  the  Huns,  he  saved  it  by  his 
intercession. 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  83 

He  is  represented  as  a  bishop,  sometimes 
holding  a  model  of  the  cathedral,  or  city 
of  Modena  in  his  hand. 

Paintings  of  his  life  and  miracles  in  the 
Municipio,  San  Gimignano. 

Genevieve,  St.  (of  Paris).  (Ital,  S.  Geno- 
VEVA.)  {^rd  January) 
A  shepherdess  of  Nanterre,  near  Paris. 
When  seven  years  old  she  was  noticed  by 
St.  Germain,  Bishop  of  Auxerre,  as  he  was 
passing  through  her  native  village,  and  con- 
secrated by  him  to  the  service  of  GOD.  Many 
miracles  are  recorded  of  her  even  in  childhood. 
Her  mother,  on  boxing  her  ears,  was  struck 
blind,  but  her  sight  was  restored  two  years 
afterwards  by  her  daughter's  prayers.  When 
her  parents  died,  she  went  to  Paris,  where 
she  lived  in  piety  and  chastity  with  an  old 
kinswoman.  For  many  years  she  underwent 
many  persecutions,  both  from  men  and 
demons,  but  only  increased  in  virtue.  When 
Attila  was  about  to  lay  siege  to  Paris,  and  the 
inhabitants  became  panic-stricken,  she  came 
forth  as  their  leader,  and  exhorted  them  with 


84         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

such  enthusiasm  that  she  restored  their  faint- 
ing spirits.  Later  on,  when  Childeric  besieged 
Paris,  she  was  indefatigable  in  her  ministra- 
tions, and  herself  took  command  of  the  boats 
that  brought  in  provisions.  After  the  capture 
of  the  city,  Childeric  treated  her  with  the 
same  veneration  as  she  received  from  the 
Parisians,  and  through  her  influence  his  son 
Clovis  and  his  wife  embraced  Christianity. 
She  died  in  a  good  old  age,  and  was  buried 
by  the  side  of  the  King  and  Queen. 

She  is  generally  represented  veiled,  with  a 
lighted  taper,  or  as  a  shepherdess,  with  sheep 
around  her,  and  with  a  distaff,  or  book,  in  her 
hand. 

GEORGE,  St.  (of  Cappadocia).  (Patron  Saint 
of  England.)  (23^  April) 
According  to  legend  he  was  born  of 
Christian  parents,  in  the  reign  of  Diocletian, 
in  Cappadocia,  and  became  a  tribune  in  the 
army.  While  travelling  through  Lybia,  he 
came  to  a  place  where  a  monstrous  dragon, 
living  in  a  marsh,  ravaged  the  neighbourhood. 
The  people  were  compelled  to  offer,  first  sheep, 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  85 

and,  when  these  were  exhausted,  children,  to 
appease  it.  These  were  taken  by  lot,  and, 
when  at  last  the  lot  fell  on  the  King's 
daughter,  Cleodolinda,  the  people  insisted 
that  she  should  be  sacrificed.  So  she  was 
led  out  as  a  victim,  to  the  dragon,  and  she 
wept.  Now  St.  George  happened  to  see  her, 
as  he  passed  by.  She  bade  him  hurry  on, 
lest  he  should  perish  too,  but  he,  making  the 
sign  of  the  cross,  attacked  the  dragon,  and, 
after  a  fierce  combat,  pierced  it  with  his 
lance.  Then  he  bound  the  dragon  fast  with 
the  girdle  of  the  princess,  and  they  led  it 
after  them  into  the  city.  When  he  told  the 
people  that  he  had  conquered  through  the 
might  of  his  God,  the  king,  and  many  thou- 
sands were  converted,  and  baptised.  During 
the  persecutions  of  Diocletian,  St.  George  was 
submitted  to  the  most  cruel  tortures  ;  he  was 
bound  to  a  cross,  and  torn  with  sharp  nails  ; 
he  was  burnt  and  beaten,  and  given  a  deadly 
poison  to  drink,  but,  making  the  sign  of  the 
cross,  he  remained  unhurt.  Many  other 
miraculous  escapes  are  told  of  him  (notably 
his   immunity  in   a  cauldron  of  boiling  oil, 


86         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

after  his  destruction  of  the  temple  of  Apollo). 
Finally  his  persecutors  were  exasperated,  and 
he  was  beheaded.  He  has  had  particular 
veneration  in  England  since  the  time  of 
Richard  the  First,  whose  armies  were  under 
his  special  protection. 

He  is  represented  armed,  often  on  horse- 
back, with  a  lance  (sometimes  broken)  or 
sword  in  his  hand,  slaying  the  dragon. 

Frescoes  by  Carpaccio  in  San  Giorgio 
degli  Schiavoni,  Venice. 

Gereon,  St.    (See  St.  Maurice.) 

GERVASIUS  and  PROTASIUS,  SS.     (19th  June) 

According  to  legend,  they  were  twin 
brothers,  and  giants,  who  suffered  for  the 
faith  under  Nero,  and  were  sent  bound  to 
Milan,  where  they  were  martyred,  and  buried 
in  a  private  garden.  The  spot  was  revealed 
in  a  vision  to  St.  Ambrose  when  he  was 
anxiously  desiring  relics  for  his  new  cathedral 
of  Milan  (see  St.  Ambrose),  and  their  remains, 
which  showed  miraculous  healing  properties, 


THE   SAINTS    IN   ART  87 

were  removed  thither,  and  the  church  dedi- 
cated to  them,  till  the  death  of  St.  Ambrose, 
when  it  became  St.  Ambrogio  Maggiore. 
They  became  popular  in  France  as  SS. 
Gervais  et  Protais,  and  pictures  of  them  are 
not  uncommon. 

Generally  represented  together,  St.  Gervais 
with  a  scourge  with  thongs,  St.  Protais  with  a 
sword. 

Giles,  St.  (Lat.  Egidius  ;  ltal.  Egidio  ;  Fr. 
GiLLES  or  Gil).  (\st  September) 
According  to  legend  was  a  noble  Athenian, 
who  fled  from  his  country  to  France,  and 
became  a  hermit,  in  a  wilderness  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Rhone,  not  far  from  Nismes. 
Here  he  lived  in  a  cave,  on  herbs  and  the 
milk  of  a  hind.  One  day  the  King  was 
hunting  near  by,  and  shot  the  stag,  which 
ran  to  St.  Giles'  cave  for  refuge.  There 
he  was  found  by  the  hunters  —  an  old 
man,  kneeling  at  prayer,  and  they  asked 
his  forgiveness  and  blessing.  He  refused 
to  leave  his  cave,  and  died  there  about 
541.      There   arose   on   the   spot   a   famous 


88         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

monastery,  afterwards  Benedictine.  St.  Giles 
became  later  very  popular  in  England  and 
Scotland. 

He  is  represented  generally  as  an  old 
Benedictine  monk.  A  wounded  hind,  pierced 
with  an  arrow,  is  his  attribute. 

Giobbe,  San.    (See  St.  Job.) 

Giovanni  et  Paolo,  SS.    (26th  June) 

Two  Roman  brothers,  who  were  martyred 
in  the  reign  of  Julian  the  Apostate.  They 
were  officers  in  the  service  of  Constantia. 
Their  ancient  church,  on  the  Coelian  Hill  at 
Rome,  stands  in  the  site  of  their  house,  and 
has  existed  since  499. 

Giovanni  Colombini,  St. 

A  wealthy  Sienese  merchant,  who  devoted 
himself  to  a  life  of  complete  poverty  and 
abnegation,  labouring  for  the  conversion  of 
souls.  He  founded  the  Order  of  the  Gesuati, 
and  died  in  1367. 

He  is  represented  in  Sienese  art  in  white 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  89 

habit  and  leather  girdle,  or  a  white  hood  and 
grey  habit. 

Picture  by  Sano  di  Pietro  in  the  Ac- 
cademia  at  Siena. 

Grata,  St. 

Daughter  of  St.  Lupo,  Duke  of  Bergamo, 
and  St.  Adelaide,  his  wife.  After  the  death 
of  her  husband  she  became  a  Christian,  and 
converted  her  parents.  When  St.  Alexander, 
one  of  the  soldiers  of  the  Theban  Legion, 
was  beheaded,  she  wrapped  the  head  in  a 
napkin,  and  buried  his  remains  honourably. 
After  her  father's  death  she  ruled  over  Ber- 
gamo with  wisdom  and  benevolence,  promot- 
ing the  spread  of  Christianity,  till  her  death, 
in  300  A.D. 

She  is  represented  in  pictures  by  Bergamese 
artists,  often  with  her  parents,  and  carrying 
the  head  of  St.  Alexander. 

Gregory,  St.    (12/A  March) 

Was  born  at  Rome  in  540  A.D.  He  held 
high  office  as  a  lawyer  there  before  he  gave 
away  all  his  possessions  and  took  the  Bene- 


9o         THE   SAINTS    IN    ART 

dictine  habit.  He  became  very  prominent 
in  Rome,  nursing  the  sick  during  the  plague, 
and  caring  for  the  poor,  and  when  Pelagius 
died  he  was  made  Pope,  much  against  his 
will.  He  was  renowned  for  his  love  of  peace 
and  his  hatred  of  slavery  and  persecution. 
He  insisted  on  the  doctrine  of  Purgatory, 
and  the  celibacy  of  the  clergy.  He  person- 
ally supervised  the  services  of  the  Church, 
giving  his  name  to  the  famous  chants.  It 
was  said  that  his  celebrated  Homilies  were 
dictated  to  him  by  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the 
form  of  a  dove,  which  sat  on  his  shoulder. 
His  extreme  kindness  and  popularity  gave  rise 
to  innumerable  legends.  When  Pope  he  en- 
tertained twelve  poor  men  at  supper  every 
night :  one  day  he  saw  that  a  thirteenth  was 
there  who,  when  questioned,  turned  out  to  be 
a  beggar,  whom  he  had  once  befriended,  in 
the  form  of  an  angel,  or,  some  say,  of  CHRIST 
Himself.  There  is  also  a  legend  that  once 
at  Mass,  in  answer  to  his  prayer,  to  convince 
some  one  who  doubted  the  Real  Presence,  the 
Crucified  CHRIST  appeared  on  the  altar,  sur- 
rounded by  the  instruments  of  His  Passion. 


THE   SAINTS    IN   ART  91 

Another  says  that  a  consecrated  cloth 
(Brandeum),  which  had  wrapped  the  body 
of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  flowed  with  blood 
when  he  cut  it  on  the  altar.  By  his  prayers, 
the  souls  of  many  were  released  from  tor- 
ments— the  case  of  the  Emperor  Trajan  be- 
ing particularly  famous,  and  commemorated 
in  literature  and  painting. 

He  is  represented  as  a  tall,  dark  man, 
generally  as  Pope,  often  with  a  dove  at  his 
ear  or  over  his  head,  frequently  with  a  book, 
his  Homilies,  in  his  hand. 

Pictures  by  Andrea  Sacchi,  in  the  Vatican. 

Gregory  Nazianzen,  St.    (gtk  May) 

The  friend  and  fellow-student  of  St.  Basil, 
another  Greek  Father.  He  lived  many  years 
in  austere  penance,  and  was  called  into  pub- 
lic life  by  his  father,  whom  he  succeeded 
as  Bishop  of  Nazianzus  in  362.  He  spent 
a  great  deal  of  his  energy  in  Constantinople, 
preaching  against  the  Arians  ;  and  afterwards 
was  made  Bishop  of  Constantinople,  but  the 
bitter  controversies  there  caused  him  to 
resign  in  disgust,  and  he  lived  in  retirement, 


92         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

writing  hymns  and  poems  till  his  death,  in 
390. 

He  is  usually  represented  with  the  other 
Greek  Fathers,  only  distinguished  by  his 
name. 

GUDULA,  St.     (§ih  January) 

The  Patron  Saint  of  the  city  of  Brussels. 
According  to  legend  she  was  a  noble  virgin, 
early  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God.  Her 
life  was  specially  holy.  She  was  accustomed 
to  rise  in  the  night  and  worship  at  the  Church 
of  Morselle,  some  distance  from  the  city, 
guiding  her  steps  thither  by  a  lantern.  Satan 
frequently  blew  it  out,  but  it  was  always 
rekindled  at  the  prayer  of  the  saint.  She 
died  about  A.D.  712. 

She  is  represented  with  a  lantern ;  some- 
times a  demon  is  seen  near. 

Helena,  St.    (See  also  St.  Sylvester.) 
(&tk  August.     Invention  of  the  Cross  y 
yd  May). 
There  is  good  authority  for  believing  that 

St.  Helena  was  a  British  woman,  though  her 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART         93 

parentage  and  place  of  birth  are  much  dis- 
puted. She  married  Constantius  Chlorus, 
and  was  the  mother  of  Constantine.  In  her 
old  age  she  became  a  Christian,  and  her  great 
desire  was  to  find  the  actual  cross  of  CHRIST, 
which  she  had  seen  in  a  vision.  She  accord- 
ingly came  to  Jerusalem,  with  a  great  army, 
on  pilgrimage,  and  diligently  sought  for  the 
cross.  Finally  the  three  crosses  of  Calvary 
were  found  buried  together  at  Golgotha.  To 
distinguish  the  cross  of  Christ  from  the  other 
two,  they  were  all  three  placed  in  turn  on  the 
body  of  a  dead  man,  and  at  the  touch  of  the 
true  cross  he  rose  up.  She  instituted  the 
annual  celebration  of  the  day  commonly 
called  "  The  Invention  of  the  Cross."  She 
divided  the  cross  into  three  parts,  and  bring- 
ing one  to  Rome,  built  the  Church  of  Santa 
Croce,  where  it  was  preserved  as  a  relic. 

She  is  represented  crowned,  and  often  in 
imperial  robes,  with  a  very  large  cross. 

Picture  by  Paolo  Veronese,  in  National 
Gallery.  Frescoes  in  Santa  Croce,  Florence, 
by  Agnolo  Gaddi,  and  in  San  Francesco, 
Arezzo,  by  Piero  dei  Franceschi. 


94         THE    SAINTS    IN   ART 

Henry,  St.  (of  Bavaria).  (15/A  July  and 
2?z^  March) 

Born  in  972,  and  elected  Emperor  in  1002. 
He  founded  the  magnificent  Cathedral  of 
Bamberg,  in  Franconia,  and  waged  war 
against  the  idolaters  of  Poland  and  Sclav- 
onia.  Legend  relates  that,  in  one  of  his 
battles,  his  three  saintly  protectors,  St. 
Lawrence,  St.  George,  and  St.  Adrian,  were 
seen  fighting  by  his  side.  In  Southern  Italy 
he  expelled  the  Saracens  from  the  territories 
which  they  had  subdued.  He  also  founded 
the  Church  of  St.  Miniato  at  Florence,  and 
died  at  Rome,  in  1024.  His  wife,  St.  Cune- 
gunda,  is  also  famous.  To  refute  malicious 
reports  she  submitted  to  trial  by  ordeal,  and 
walked  unhurt  over  red-hot  ploughshares. 
After  her  husband's  death  she  took  the 
Benedictine  habit,  and  died  in   1040. 

He  is  represented  in  complete  armour, 
with  the  Imperial  crown,  sword,  and  orb,  and 
often  bearing  a  model  of  the  Cathedral  of 
Bamberg. 

Hermengild,  St.    (See  St.  Leander.) 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART  95 

Hilarion,  St.     {21st  October) 

One  of  the  early  hermits.  According  to 
legend,  a  native  of  Gaza,  in  Palestine,  and 
sent  to  Alexandria  to  study  philosophy.  He 
was  converted  by  St.  Anthony,  the  hermit, 
and  founded  the  first  monastery  in  Syria. 
He  is  said  to  have  taught  St.  Basil,  the  Greek 
Father,  and  to  have  vanquished  a  dragon  by 
the  sign  of  the  cross. 

He  is  introduced  into  Fra  Lippo  Lippi's 
picture  of  "  The  Nativity,"  in  the  Accademia, 
Florence. 

Hilary,  St.    {14th  January) 

Bishop  of  Poitiers  in  the  fourth  century, 
is  revered  throughout  North  Italy  as  Sant' 
Ilario.  His  writings  still  survive,  and  he  is 
the  Patron  of  Parma. 

Hilda,  St.     (iSt/i  November) 

Great  -  grand  -  daughter  of  Edwin,  first 
Christian  king  of  Northumbria.  She  is 
celebrated  as  the  Abbess  of  Whitby,  where 
she  ruled  with  wisdom  and  prudence  over 
large  communities  of  both  monks  and  nuns. 


96         THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Hippolytus,    St.   (Ital.  Sant'    Ippolito). 
(See  St.  Lawrence.) 

Hubert,  St.  (Patron  of  the  Chase,  and  of 
Dogs).     ($rd  November) 

A  nobleman  of  Aquitaine,  given  up  to 
the  chase  and  other  worldly  pursuits.  One 
day,  according  to  the  legend,  as  he  was 
hunting  in  the  Forest  of  the  Ardennes,  in 
Holy  Week,  he  met  a  white  stag  with  the 
crucifix  between  its  horns.  He  at  once 
renounced  the  world,  and  became  a  hermit. 
Under  the  teaching  of  St.  Lambert  he  was 
ordained  priest,  and  was  finally  Bishop  of 
Liege,  where  he  died,  in  727.  Thirteen  years 
afterwards  his  body  was  disinterred,  and  it 
was  found  entire — even  the  episcopal  robes 
being  without  spot  or  stain.  A  century  later 
the  body  was  removed  from  Liege  to  the 
Abbey  Church  of  the  Benedictines  of  the 
Ardennes. 

He  is  represented  as  a  bishop,  with  a 
hunting-horn ,  or  a  book.  The  stag  with  the 
crucifix  is  his  attribute. 


THE   SAINTS   IN    ART  97 

Hugo,  St.  (Bishop  of  Grenoble).     (See  St. 
Bruno.) 

Humilitas,  St.  (See  St.  John  Gualberto.) 
The  foundress  of  the  Vallombrosan  nuns 
was  Rosana,  the  wife  of  Ugolotto  Caccia- 
nemici  of  Faenza.  She  persuaded  her 
husband  to  take  the  monastic  habit,  and 
was  beatified  as  Sant  'Umilta. 

Hyacinth,  St.    (\6th  August) 

Was  born  in  Silesia  in  the  thirteenth 
century.  When  at  Rome,  he  was  influenced 
by  the  preaching  of  St.  Dominic,  and,  taking 
the  habit  of  his  Order,  gave  up  his  life  to  mis- 
sionary'abours  among  Tartars  and  Russians, 
Swedes,  Norwegians,  and  Danes.  He  under- 
went great  privations,  and  finally  returned 
to  the  monastery  of  his  Order,  which  he  had 
founded  at  Cracow,  where  he  died,  in  1257. 
He  was  not  canonised  till  1594.  It  is  told 
of  him  that  when  his  Convent  of  Kiov,  in 
Russia,  was  attacked  by  the  Tartars  he 
escaped,  carrying  the  Pyx  and  an  image  of 
the  Virgin ;   and  on  arriving  with  them  on 

G 


98  THE   SAINTS    IN    ART 

the  banks  of  the  Dniester  he  walked  in 
safety  over  the  surface  of  the  river.  He 
is  also  said  to  have  resuscitated  a  youth 
who  was  drowned.  These  incidents  are 
sometimes  represented. 

Picture  by  Francesco  del  Cossa,  partly  in 
the  National  Gallery,  partly  in  the  Vatican. 

Ignatius  Loyola,  St.  (the  Founder  of  the 
Jesuits).  (31st  July) 
Born  in  Spain  in  1491,  he  became  a  page 
at  the  Court  of  King  Ferdinand.  He  entered 
the  army,  but  was  severely  wounded  in  1521, 
and  his  career  was  entirely  changed.  After 
a  period  of  penance  and  visions,  he  under- 
took a  course  of  study  in  preparation  for 
preaching.  While  at  Paris  he  formed  a 
community  with  five  associates,  who  bound 
themselves,  besides  the  usual  vows,  to  preach 
and  teach  in  any  part  of  the  world  to  which 
he  might  send  them.  After  some  years  his 
institute  was  confirmed  by  the  Pope,  under 
the  name  of  the  "  Society  of  Jesus."  He 
became  the  first  General  of  his  Order,  died 
in   1556,  and  was  canonised  in  1622. 


THE    SAINTS    IN    ART  99 

Necessarily  he  only  appears  in  pictures  of 
the  declining  period  of  art.  He  is  repre- 
sented in  ecclesiastical  dress,  the  monogram 
of  his  Order  (I.H.S.)  being  introduced,  or  its 
device,  the  heart  crowned  with  thorns. 

Ignatius  Theophorus,  St.  (Bishop  of 
Antioch  in  the  time  of  Trajan).  (1st 
February) 

He  was  a  friend  of  Polycarp,  and,  accord- 
ing to  legend,  both  were  disciples  of  St.  John 
the  Evangelist.  There  was  a  tradition  that 
he  was  the  child  that  CHRIST  "set  in  the 
midst"  of  his  disciples.  When  Trajan  came 
to  Antioch,  he  ordered  St.  Ignatius  to  sacri- 
fice to  his  gods,  and,  on  his  refusal,  had  him 
brought  in  chains  to  Rome,  and  thrown  to 
the  lions  in  the  amphitheatre. 

He  is  represented  as  a  Greek  bishop,  and 
generally  suffering  martyrdom. 

Ildefonso  (or  Alphonso),  St.  (the  Patron 
Saint  of  Toledo).     (23rd  January) 
A  Benedictine  monk,  who  became  Arch- 
bishop of  Toledo  in  657.    He  wrote  in  defence 


ioo        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

of  the  perpetual  virginity  of  the  Madonna,  who 
therefore  regarded  him  with  special  favour, 
and  is  said  to  have  appeared  to  him  in  a 
vision,  seated  on  his  ivory  throne  in  the 
cathedral,  and,  as  he  knelt  before  her, 
placed  upon  his  shoulders  a  chasuble  or 
cassock  of  heavenly  tissue. 

The  investiture  of  St.  Ildefonso  is  a  favourite 
subject  with  Spanish  artists,  and  is  repre- 
sented by  Sodoma  in  S.  Spirito,  Siena.  (See 
also  St.  Leocadia.) 

Isidore,  St.    (See  St.  Leander.) 

Isidore,  St.  (Ital.  Sant'  Isidoro  Agri- 
cola  ;  Span.  San  Isidro  el  Labra- 
dor) (the  Patron  Saint  of  Madrid.) 
(\$tk  May) 
He  worked  as  a  ploughman  for   a   hard 
master,  who,  it  is  said,  went  one  day  into 
the  field  to  reprimand  him,  and  found  him 
on    his    knees    praying,    while    two    angels 
guided  the  plough. 

He  is  represented  in  Spanish  pictures  with 
a  spade  or  a  plough. 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        101 

James,  St.  (The  Great).  (Biblical.)  (Fr.  St. 
Jacques  Majeur;  Ital.  San  Gia- 
COMO,  or  JACOPO,  MAGGIORE;  Span. 
San  Jago,  or  Santiago.)  {2$tkjufy) 
The  Patron  Saint  of  Spain,  where,  accord- 
ing to  tradition,  he  preached  the  Gospel,  and, 
in  obedience  to  a  command  given  to  him  by 
the  Virgin  in  a  vision,  built  a  church  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ebro.  Thence  he  returned  to 
Judaea,  where  he  converted  Hermogenes,  a 
sorcerer,  and  Philetus,  one  of  his  pupils. 
He  was  beheaded  by  order  of  Herod  Agrippa, 
and  his  body  was  carried  to  Joppa,  and  put 
on  a  ship,  which  was  directed  by  angels  to 
Spain.  Here,  in  the  country  of  Queen  Lupa, 
the  body  was  landed,  and  placed  on  a  stone, 
which  turned  to  wax,  and  entombed  it.  The 
Queen  in  her  anger  ordered  wild  bulls  to  be 
harnessed  to  a  car,  to  take  the  body  to  de- 
struction. The  bulls,  tamed  by  the  sign  of 
the  cross,  drew  it  to  the  palace,  to  the  aston- 
ishment of  the  Queen,  who  was  converted, 
with  all  her  people.  The  body  of  the  saint 
was  then  buried  in  a  magnificent  church 
built  by  the  Queen,  but  was  lost  during  the 


io2        THE    SAINTS   IN    ART 

invasions  of  the  Barbarians,  till  the  year  800, 
when  it  was  found  by  a  holy  friar,  and  re- 
moved to  Compostella.  His  shrine  there 
became  a  place  of  pilgrimage,  where  many 
miracles  were  worked.  A  German  pilgrim 
and  his  wife  (so  runs  the  tale),  on  their  way 
to  Compostella,  lost  their  son  through  the 
malicious  intrigue  of  an  innkeeper's  daughter, 
and  told  their  sad  story  to  St.  James.  On 
their  return,  arriving  at  the  spot  where  their 
son's  body  hung  on  a  gibbet,  they  stood  still, 
and  wept.  Suddenly  their  son  spoke,  and 
told  them  not  to  weep,  for  St.  James  was 
sustaining  him.  The  parents  hurried  to  the 
judge  who  had  condemned  him,  and  on  hear- 
ing the  story  he,  being  at  a  meal,  laughed 
and  said  :  "  If  your  son  is  alive,  so  are  those 
fowls  on  the  table."  Immediately  the  fowls 
rose  up,  crowed,  and  walked.  In  a  battle 
against  the  Moors  at  Clavijo,  in  939,  St. 
James  was  said  to  have  appeared  on  a  white 
charger,  at  the  head  of  the  Christian  host, 
and  "  Santiago "  was  henceforth  the  war- 
cry  of  the  Spaniards.  Very  many  similar 
appearances  are  recorded  of  him. 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        103 

He  is  usually  placed  fourth  among  the 
Twelve  Apostles,  and  is  often  represented 
as  a  pilgrim,  with  a  long  staff  and  a  wallet, 
sometimes  with  scallop  shells,  cape,  and 
hat ;  also  on  his  white  charger  with  a  white 
banner. 

His  life  is  represented  in  frescoes  by  Man- 
tegna  at  the  Eremitani  Church  in  Padua,  and 
by  Sodoma  in  S.  Spirito  at  Siena. 


James,  St.  (the  Less).    (Biblical.)    (Ital.  San 

Giacomo,    or   JACOPO    MiNORE;    Fr. 

St.  Jacques  Mineur.)    (1st  May) 

By   tradition   he  was  the  first  Bishop  of 

Jerusalem,  excited  the  crowd  by  the  fervour 

of  his  preaching,  and  was  thrown  down  from 

the  pulpit,  or  from  a  parapet  of  the  Temple, 

and    killed   by  a  blow  from  a  fuller's  club. 

Various   miraculous    incidents   are   recorded 

of  him,  some  of  which  are  also  attributed  to 

St.  James  the  Great. 

He  is  to  be  distinguished  from  the  other 
Apostles  by  his  instrument  of  martyrdom, 
the  fuller's  club. 


104        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Januarius,  St.  (Ital.  San  Gennaro;  Fr. 
St.  Janvier),  {igth  September) 
The  Patron  Saint  of  Naples.  Legend 
says  that  he  was  Bishop  of  Benevento  in 
the  third  century,  and  came  to  Naples  during 
the  persecutions,  to  encourage  the  Christians. 
There  he  suffered  martyrdom  in  303.  He 
is  the  special  protector  of  Naples  against 
eruptions  of  Vesuvius,  and  is  greatly  rever- 
enced in  that  city,  where  it  is  still  -believed 
that  his  blood  liquefies  annually  on  his 
festival. 

Jerome,  St.  (Lat  Hieronymus  ;  Ital.  Giro- 
LAMO)    (Patron    Saint    of    Scholars). 
(30/A  September) 
The  most  learned  of  the  Latin  Fathers,  and 
a  native  of  Dalmatia.    He  came  as  a  youth  to 
Rome  to  study,  and  early  became  famous  for 
his  love  of  learning.     He  professed  the  Chris- 
tian faith  and  was  baptised.     He  travelled  in 
Gaul   and   later   in    Syria,  where  he  visited 
hermits   and    ascetics.     Later  he  retired    to 
the  desert  of  Calchis,  where  he  stayed  four 


ST.    JEROME   IN   HIS   STUDY 
From  an  engraving  (1514)  by  Albrecht  Dilrer 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        105 

years  in  solitude,  doing  penance,  living,  as 
he  describes,  "  with  scorpions  and  wild  beasts, 
among  rocks  and  precipices."  Here  he  had 
a  vision  of  the  Last  Trump.  He  applied  him- 
self to  the  study  of  Hebrew,  and  translated 
the  Old  Testament  as  well  as  the  New  into 
Latin  (the  Vulgate).  He  visited  Palestine 
and  Jerusalem,  then  he  returned  to  Rome 
and  became  secretary  to  Pope  Damasus. 
He  preached  abstinence,  and  had  great  in- 
fluence, but,  after  a  few  years,  he  retired  to 
the  monastery  he  had  founded  at  Bethlehem, 
and  employed  himself  with  his  writings  till 
he  died,  at  the  age  of  ninety,  420  A.D.  At 
the  approach  of  death  he  was  carried  into 
the  chapel  of  the  monastery  to  receive  the 
Sacrament  with  his  disciples.  A  legend  runs 
that  one  day,  as  he  sat  within  the  gates  of 
his  monastery  at  Bethlehem,  a  lion  came 
limping  in.  The  brethren  fled,  but  St.  Jerome 
went  up  to  it,  and  took  a  thorn  out  of  its 
wounded  foot.  The  lion  stayed  with  him, 
and  became  the  keeper  of  the  ass  of  burden 
of  the  establishment.  One  day  the  lion, 
while  asleep,  let  the  ass  be  taken  away  by 


io6        THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

some  merchants.  He  sought  it  everywhere, 
meantime  carrying  the  wood,  etc.,  himself. 
One  day  he  saw  a  caravan  of  merchants 
coming  along,  led  by  an  ass,  which  he  at 
once  recognised  as  his  lost  charge.  He 
drove  the  whole  caravan  into  the  monas- 
tery, where  the  merchants,  in  their  terror, 
confessed  having  stolen  the  ass,  and  were 
absolved  by  St.  Jerome. 

St.  Jerome  is  often  represented  in  the  desert 
doing  penance,  naked,  and  beating  his  breast 
with  a  stone.  Or  in  his  cell,  writing  or  read- 
ing. A  lion  is  almost  always  beside  him. 
He  may  also  be  distinguished  by  his  car- 
dinal's hat,  and  he  sometimes  carries  a  small 
church  (emblematic  of  his  great  support  to 
the  Church). 

Pictures  by  Carpaccio  in  S.  Giorgio  degli 
Schiavoni,  Venice,  by  Titian  in  the  Brera, 
Milan,  by  Cima  and  Catena  in  the  National 
Gallery. 

Joachim,  St.  (father  of  the  Virgin).     (See 
St.  Mary  the  Virgin.) 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        107 

Job,    St.    (Ital.    San    Giobbe).     (Biblical.) 
(Patron  Saint  of  Hospitals,  and  pro- 
tector against  leprosy,  at  Venice) 
It  is  not  usual  for  Old  Testament  characters 
to   become   Christian   saints.     Venice,   from 
its  intimate  connection  with  the  East,  and 
its  continual  ravages  by  plague,  appears  to 
have  sought  relief  by  the  intercession  of  Job, 
the  grievous  sufferer  of  old. 

John  the  Baptist,  St.  (Ital.  Giovanni 
Battista).  (Biblical.)  (24/A  June 
and  29//Z  August) 

The  Patron  Saint  of  Florence,  and  a 
frequent  subject  in  Florentine  pictures.  The 
whole  of  his  life  being  comprised  in  the 
Gospel  narrative,  few  legends  have  grown 
around  his  name. 

In  pictures  of  the  Holy  Family  he  is  repre- 
sented as  a  child  ;  then  as  a  boy,  generally 
with  a  lamb,  and  as  a  young  man  in  raiment 
of  camel's  hair,  sometimes  holding  a  book  or 
a  scroll  with  the  words  :  "  Behold  the  Lamb 
of  God."  But  at  all  times  his  almost  invari- 
able attribute  is  the  cross. 


108        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Frescoes  by  Fra  Lippo  Lippi  in  the  Duomo 
of  Prato ;  by  Andrea  del  Sarto  and  Francia 
Bigio  in  the  Cloisters  del  Scalzo,  Florence, 
and  by  Pinturicchio  in  the  Duomo  of  Siena. 

John,  St.  (Capistrano).     (23^  October) 

A  Franciscan  friar  renowned  for  his  preach- 
ing and  his  encouragement  of  the  Christians 
against  the  Mahometans,  at  the  time  of  the 
capture  of  Constantinople.  He  died  in  1465 
and  was  canonised  a  few  years  after  the  de- 
liverance of  Vienna  from  the  Turks,  in  1683, 
in  commemoration  of  the  event. 

Portrait  by  Bartolomeo  Vivarini  in  the 
Louvre. 

John  the  Evangelist,  St.  (Ital.  San  Gio- 
vanni; Ger.JOHANN).  (Biblical.)  (See 
Evangelists.)    {27th  December) 
Tradition  says  that  St.  John  was  sent  to 
Rome  in  the  reign  of  Domitian,  and  cast  into 
a  cauldron  of  boiling  oil,  but  was  miraculously 
preserved.     He    was    afterwards    exiled    to 
Patmos,   where    he    wrote    the    Apocalypse, 
returning  thence  to  Ephesus,  where  he  died 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        109 

at  the  age  of  nearly  a  hundred  years.  A 
legend  relates  that  once  in  Rome  an  attempt 
was  made  to  poison  him  in  the  sacramental 
cup,  some  say  by  order  of  Domitian,  but  the 
poison  issued  miraculously  from  the  cup  in 
the  form  of  a  serpent,  while  his  enemies  fell 
dead  at  his  feet,  and  he  and  the  communi- 
cants were  saved.  A  cup  often  shown  in  the 
hand  of  St.  John  may  refer  to  this,  or  to 
Christ's  words  to  him  :  "  Ye  shall  indeed 
drink  of  My  cup."  Various  legends  in  the 
life  of  St  John  are  occasionally  represented, 
such  as  his  restoring  to  life  Drusiana,  a  Chris- 
tian, at  the  gates  of  Ephesus.  Also  two 
young  men,  his  converts,  having  repented  of 
selling  all  their  possessions,  St.  John  told 
them  to  collect  pebbles  and  faggots,  and 
these  he  turned  into  gold,  bidding  them  go 
and  enjoy  earth,  since  they  regretted  their 
exchange  for  heaven.  The  belief  among 
the  Apostles  that  "  he  should  not  die  "  gave 
rise  to  a  legend,  not  widely  received,  that  he 
was  preserved  alive  in  the  tomb,  and  was 
translated  to  heaven.  When  the  Empress 
Galla    Placidia    was    returning    from    Con- 


no        THE   SAINTS    IN    ART 

stantinople  to  Ravenna  she  was  overtaken 
by  a  violent  storm,  and  vowed  to  St.  John 
that  if  she  was  preserved  she  would  build  a 
magnificent  church  in  his  honour.  This  she 
did,  and  having  no  relic  of  the  saint  she 
prayed  for  one.  He  accordingly  appeared  to 
her  in  a  vision,  and  left  her  one  of  his  sandals, 
which  was  long  preserved  in  her  church  at 
Ravenna. 

He  is  represented  (i)  as  an  Apostle,  gener- 
ally young,  beardless,  sometimes  with  book 
or  pen,  sometimes  with  a  cup  (and  serpent) ; 
(2)  as  an  evangelist,  with  an  eagle ;  (3)  as 
the  writer  of  the  Apocalypse,  an  old  man,  in 
the  Isle  of  Patmos,  with  the  sea  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

Frescoes  by  Giotto  at  Santa  Croce,  Florence. 

John  Gualberto,  St.  (Founder  of  the 
Order  of  Vallombrosa).  {\2th  July) 
He  was  a  noble  young  Florentine,  bril- 
liant and  skilled  in  arms.  His  only  brother, 
Hugo,  was  killed  in  a  quarrel,  and  Gualberto, 
in  great  fury,  vowed  vengeance,  and  set  out 
in  pursuit  of  the  murderer.     One  day,  when 


MADONNA   AND    CHILD 
ST.    CATHERINE  ST.    LUC 

ST.    JEROME  ST.   JOHN    THE    EVANGELIST 

Frotn  the  painting  by  Sodoma  in  the  Pinacoteca,  Titrin 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        in 

riding  out  from  Florence,  and  about  half-way 
up  the  winding  road  to  St.  Miniato,  he  met 
his  enemy  face  to  face  at  a  bend  in  the  road. 
There  was  no  escape,  and,  falling  on  his 
knees,  the  unfortunate  man  begged  for  mercy 
in  the  name  of  Christ.  Gualberto,  who  had 
drawn  his  sword,  after  a  terrible  mental  con- 
flict held  out  his  hand,  and  spared  the  man. 
They  embraced  and  parted.  Gualberto  went 
on  to  the  Church  of  St  Miniato,  and  there, 
having  knelt  before  the  crucifix  and  wept, 
praying  for  forgiveness  as  he  had  forgiven, 
he  fancied  that  the  Figure  on  the  Cross  bowed 
its  head.  He  then  entered  the  Benedictine 
Order,  and  dwelt  for  some  time  as  a  humble 
penitent  in  the  Monastery  of  St.  Miniato. 
Later  on  he  retired  to  Vallombrosa,  and 
there  gathered  around  him  a  small  company, 
which  grew  into  the  Order  of  the  Monks  of 
Vallombrosa.     He  died  in  1073. 

He  is  represented  in  the  light  grey  habit 
of  his  Order,  kneeling,  and  holding  a  cross. 

Introduced  into  Fra  Angelico's  fresco  of 
"  Crucifixion  "  in  chapter-house  of  San  Marco. 
Florence.     Life  represented  in  bas-relief  by 


ii2        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Benedetto   da    Rovezzano    in    the    Bargello, 
Florence. 

John  de  Matha,  St.  (Founder  of  the 
Trinitarians).  {%th  February) 
Born  of  a  noble  family  in  Provence,  in  1 154. 
Early  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God,  he 
became  a  student  at  the  University  of  Paris. 
He  was  ordained  priest,  and,  at  his  first  per- 
formance of  divine  service,  beheld  a  vision 
of  an  angel,  clothed  in  white,  with  a  red  and 
blue  cross  on  his  breast,  and  his  hands  upon 
the  heads  of  two  slaves,  kneeling  beside  him. 
Believing  himself  thus  called  to  the  deliver- 
ance of  captives,  he  retired  from  the  world  to 
a  desert  place,  and,  with  the  help  of  another 
benevolent  man,  Felix  de  Valois,  determined 
to  found  a  new  institution,  and  went  to 
Rome  to  obtain  the  sanction  of  the  Pope. 
There  they  found  that  the  Pope  himself  had 
had  a  similar  vision,  and  he  at  once  ratified 
the  Order,  under  the  name  of  the  "  Order  of 
the  Holy  Trinity  for  the  Redemption  of 
Captives."  John  and  Felix  then  travelled 
through  France,  collecting  money,  and  made 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        113 

three  voyages  to  Africa,  to  exchange  prisoners 
and  redeem  captives. 

He  is  represented  in  a  white  habit,  with  a 
blue  and  red  cross  upon  his  breast,  and  fetters 
in  his  hand  or  at  his  feet ;  generally  the  angel 
and  the  two  captives  are  seen  in  the  back- 
ground. 

John  Nepomuck,  St.  (Ital.  San  Giovanni 
Nepomuceno).     (\6tk  May) 

A  canon  regular  of  St.  Augustine,  who, 
for  refusing  to  betray  the  secrets  of  the  con- 
fessional, was  brutally  murdered  at  Prague 
by  order  of  the  Emperor  Wenceslaus,  being 
thrown  from  a  bridge  into  the  River  Moldau. 
Five  stars  were  said  to  shine  as  a  crown 
above  the  spot.  He  was  honoured  as  a 
martyr,  and  became,  in  Austria  and  Bohemia, 
the  Patron  Saint  of  Bridges  and  Running 
Water,  and  also  of  Silence. 

He  is  represented  in  the  Augustine  Habit 
one  hand  holds  the  cross,  the  other  is  ex- 
tended in  benediction.  Five  stars  are  seen 
above  his  head.  Sometimes  he  is  shown  with 
his  finger  on  his  lip,  or  a  padlock  on  his  mouth. 
h 


ii4       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Joseph,  St.    (See  St.  Mary  the  Virgin.) 
{igth  March) 

JUAN  de  Dios,  St.  (Founder  of  the  Hos- 
pitallers, or  Brothers  of  Charity). 
(8tk  March) 
Born  of  poor  parents  at  Monte  Mayor  in 
Portugal,  in  1495,  he  was  seduced  from  his 
home  by  a  priest,  who  abandoned  him  on  the 
road.  He  became  a  shepherd,  and  afterwards 
a  brave  and  reckless  soldier  of  fortune. 
After  many  strange  adventures,  he  returned 
home,  to  find  that  his  parents  had  died  of 
grief  at  his  loss.  Remorse  seized  upon  him, 
and  he  determined  to  go  to  Morocco,  and 
minister  to  the  Christian  captives  there.  At 
Ceuta  he  entered  into  the  service  of  a 
Portuguese  nobleman,  who  had  lost  all  his 
possessions,  and  maintained  the  whole  family 
by  his  labour.  Returning  to  Spain,  he  went, 
in  obedience  to  a  vision,  to  Granada,  where, 
at  a  festival,  he  was  seized  with  a  frenzied 
excitement  bordering  upon  madness.  On 
his  recovery  he  devoted  himself  entirely  to 
the  relief  of  the  sick  and  poor,  and,  with  the 


THE   SAINTS   IN    ART        115 

help  of  a  few  charitable  people,  founded  the 
first  Hospital  of  the  Order  of  Charity.  After 
ten  years  of  fervent  and  self-denying  life  he 
died,  in  1550,  and  was  canonised  by  Pope 
Alexander  VIII.  in  1690. 

He  is  represented  in  the  dress  of  the 
Capuchins,  with  a  long  beard,  and  holding 
in  his  hand  a  pomegranate  {pome  de  Granada)^ 
with  a  cross  standing  on  it,  and  with  a  beggar 
kneeling  at  his  feet. 

Jude,    St.     (See    SS.    Simon    and    Jude.) 
(28^  October) 

Julia,  St.  (of  Brescia).    (See  St.  Afra.) 

Julian,  St.  (of  Cilicia)  (the  Patron  Saint 
of  Rimini).  (22nd  June) 
He  was  a  Greek  martyr,  who  was  thrown 
into  the  sea  in  a  sack  full  of  serpents,  but  his 
body  was  (according  to  legend)  guided  on  the 
waves  by  angels,  till  it  arrived  on  the  shores 
of  Rimini,  where  a  church  was  erected  in  his 
honour. 


n6        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Julian  Hospitator,  St.  (Patron  Saint  of 
Travellers,  Boatmen,  Ferrymen,  and 
Wandering  Minstrels).  {6th  July) 
A  rich  nobleman  who  lived  luxuriously  in 
his  castle.  One  day,  so  runs  the  tale,  a  deer, 
which  he  was  hunting,  turned  round  and 
prophesied  that  he  would  cause  the  death  of 
his  father  and  mother.  Terrified  at  the  pre- 
diction he  fled  into  a  distant  country,  where 
he  was  honourably  received  by  the  prince, 
and  given  a  beautiful  wife,  with  whom  he 
lived  happily  for  some  years.  Meanwhile  his 
parents,  mourning  deeply,  sent  messengers 
everywhere  for  news  of  him,  and  at  length, 
dressed  as  pilgrims,  set  out  themselves  to 
find  him.  Arriving  at  his  castle  during  his 
absence,  they  were  hospitably  entertained  by 
his  wife,  and  on  making  themselves  known, 
were  allowed  to  rest  on  her  own  bed.  Julian, 
on  his  return,  seeing  a  man  in  his  bed,  killed 
them  both  instantly.  When  he  discovered 
his  deed,  he  and  his  wife  went  out  into  the 
wilds  to  do  penance,  and  built  a  hospital  for 
the  poor,  and  a  cell  for  themselves,  while 
Julian  in  charity  ferried  travellers  across  a 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        117 

rushing  torrent  that  ran  by.  One  night  in 
midwinter  he  brought  over  a  leper,  so  ill 
that  he  carried  him  in  his  arms,  and  put  him 
in  his  own  bed,  where  his  wife  nursed  him. 
In  the  morning  the  leper  told  them  that 
God  had  accepted  their  penance,  and  then 
vanished.  Shortly  after,  full  of  good  works, 
they  died. 

He  is  represented  young,  in  rich  attire, 
with  hunting-horn  or  stag ;  sometimes  a  river 
and  boat  are  seen  in  the  background. 

JUSTA  and  Rufina,  SS.     (29th  July) 

Patronesses  of  Seville,  being  daughters  of 
a  potter  in  that  city,  with  whom  they  worked, 
giving  all  they  could  to  the  poor.  When 
some  women  came  to  their  shop  to  buy 
vessels  for  the  sacrifice  to  Venus,  the  sisters 
refused  to  sell  for  such  a  purpose,  whereupon 
all  their  earthenware  was  broken  by  the 
would-be  purchasers.  When  Justa  and 
Rufina,  in  retaliation,  broke  the  image  of 
Venus,  they  were  seized  by  the  populace, 
accused  of  sacrilege  before  the  Prefect,  and, 
confessing  themselves    Christians,  were  tor- 


n8        THE   SAINTS  IN    ART 

tured  and  martyred,  in  the  year  304.  They 
are  a  favourite  subject  of  all  painters  of  the 
Seville  School. 

They  are  represented  with  pots  ;  sometimes 
the  Giralda  (tower)  of  Seville,  supposed  to 
be  under  their  special  protection,  is  seen 
near  them. 

Justina,  St.  (of  Antioch).  (See  St.  Cyprian 
of  Antioch.)  {26th  September) 
Her  attribute  is  a  unicorn,  regarded  as  the 
emblem  of  chastity,  because  of  an  ancient 
fable  that  it  could  never  be  captured,  except 
by  a  stainless  virgin. 

Justina,  St.   (of  Padua).     {7th  October) 

Frequent  in  Paduan  and  Venetian  paint- 
ings, and  to  be  distinguished  from  Justina 
of  Antioch,  a  famous  saint  of  the  Eastern 
Church.  She  was  born  at  Padua  in  the 
third  century,  a  daughter  of  King  Vitalicino, 
who  was  baptised  by  St.  Prodocimo,  a  disciple 
of  St.  Peter.  In  the  reign  of  Maximian  she 
was  killed  by  a  sword  thrust  through  her 
breast. 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        119 

She  is  represented  as  a  princess,  with  a 
crown,  and  a  palm,  and  a  sword  through  her 
breast.  Sometimes  confused  with  St.  Justina 
of  Antioch,  and  given  her  attribute,  a  unicorn. 

Picture  by  Paolo  Veronese,  in  her  church 
at  Padua,  and  by  Tintoretto,  in  the  Acca- 
demia,  Venice. 

Lambert,  St.  (Bishop  of  Maestricht).  {17th 
September) 

He  lived  in  the  dark  period  of  the  later 
Merovingian  kings,  and  dared  to  remonstrate 
with  Pepin,  the  "  Maire  du  Palais,"  for  his 
conduct.  In  consequence,  he  was  murdered 
in  his  house  near  Maestricht,  as  he  knelt  in 
prayer,  in  709. 

He  is  represented  in  episcopal  robes,  with 
a  martyr's  palm  in  his  hand,  and  a  lance  or 
javelin  at  his  feet. 

Lawrence,  St.  (Ital.  San  Lorenzo  ;   Fr. 
St.  Laurent).    {\oth  August) 
Tradition  says  he  was  a  native  of  Aragon  ; 
deacon   to  Pope  Sixtus   II.     He  was  after- 
wards chosen   as  the   first  archdeacon,  and 


120        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

given  charge  of  the  vessels  and  embroideries 
of  the  altar,  and  of  its  services.  When  Sixtus 
was  led  away  to  martyrdom,  Lawrence  be- 
sought that  he  might  go  with  him,  and  wept ; 
but  Sixtus  said  that  he  should  follow  in  three 
days  to  a  much  more  painful  death.  Mean- 
while he  told  him  to  take  all  the  possessions 
of  the  Church,  and  distribute  them  to  the 
poor,  which  St.  Lawrence  did,  visiting  from 
house  to  house.  On  his  rounds  he  came  to 
the  house  of  a  devout  widow,  Cyriaca,  on  the 
Ccelian  Hill,  who  concealed  and  ministered 
to  the  Christians.  She  was  sick,  and  he 
healed  her  by  laying  on  of  hands,  and 
washed  the  feet  of  the  Christians  in  the 
house.  When  the  Prefect  heard  that  St. 
Lawrence  had  the  treasures  of  the  Church, 
he  threw  him  into  prison,  under  the  charge 
of  a  certain  Hippolytus,  who  was  converted 
and  baptised,  with  all  his  family.  The  Pre- 
fect then  asked  where  the  treasures  were, 
and  St.  Lawrence  said  he  would  show  him 
in  three  days,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
called  together  the  poor  and  sick,  and  said  : 
"  Here  are  the  treasures  of  Christ's  Church." 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        121 

The  Prefect,  in  a  rage,  ordered  St.  Lawrence 
to  be  bound  on  a  gridiron,  and  roasted  over 
fires.  In  the  midst  of  his  torture  he  uttered 
his  famous  taunt :  "  Seest  thou  not  that  I  am 
roasted  on  one  side  ?  Turn  me  on  the  other." 
So  he  died,  and  Hippolytus  came  in  the 
night,  and  took  the  body,  and  buried  it. 
When  the  Prefect  heard  this  he  seized 
Hippolytus,  and  commanded  him  to  be  tied 
to  the  tail  of  a  wild  horse,  and  so  he  too 
suffered  martyrdom. 

St.  Lawrence  is  represented  young,  as  a 
deacon.  Sometimes  he  holds  a  dish  or  bag 
of  gold,  the  treasure  of  the  Church,  or  a 
censer,  or  cross ;  but  his  distinguishing 
attribute  is  a  gridiron. 

His  life  is  represented  in  Fra  Angelico's 
frescoes  in  the  chapel  of  Nicholas  V.  in 
the  Vatican. 

Lazarus,  St.  (Biblical).  (See  St.  Mary 
Magdalen.)    (17th  December) 

Often  with  SS.  Martha  and  Mary. 

Represented  as  a  bishop :  sometimes  a 
bier  or  graveclothes  are  introduced. 


122        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Leander  and  Isidore,  SS.  (27th  February 
and  /\.th  April) 
Two  Spanish  brothers,  who  were  success- 
ively Bishops  of  Seville,  and  are  patrons  of 
that  city.  They  were  often  represented  with 
the  martyr,  Prince  Hermengildus,  who  was 
killed  by  his  father  for  relinquishing  the 
Arian  doctrines.  St.  Isidore  was  a  famous 
theological  writer  and  encyclopedist,  and 
his  works  were  much  used  in  the  Middle 
Ages. 

Leocadia,  St.  (Patron  Saint  of  Toledo). 
{gth  December) 
She  was  a  native  of  that  city,  and  during 
the  persecution  of  Diocletian  she  was  thrown 
into  a  dungeon.  While  there  she  heard  of 
the  martyrdom  of  her  friend,  St.  Eulalia,  and 
prayed  that  she  might  join  her.  Her  prayer 
was  granted,  for  she  died  in  prison.  She  has 
always  been  held  in  great  reverence  in 
Toledo,  where  magnificent  churches  have 
been  built  in  her  honour.  Another  legend 
says  that  she  was  thrown  from  the  rocks  and 
killed,  and  afterwards  appeared  to  St.  Ilde- 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        123 

fonso,  telling  him,  that  his  work  in  honour 
of  the  Virgin  was  approved  in  heaven.  She 
left  with  him  a  portion  of  her  veil,  which  was 
preserved  as  a  relic.     (See  St.  ILDEFONSO.) 


Leonard,    St.    (of    Aquitaine).     (Fr.    St. 

Leonard      or     Lionart.)    (Patron 

Saint  of  Prisoners  and  Slaves.)     (6th 

and  yth  November) 

According  to  legend,  he  was  a  youth  at 

the  court  of  King   Theodobert   of  France. 

He    was    converted,    and    baptised    by    St. 

Benignus,  and  became  endued  with  a  spirit 

of  charity.     He   spent  his   time  in   visiting 

and     ministering    to    prisoners    (sometimes 

seeking  their  pardon  from  the  King)  and  his 

money  in  liberating  captive  slaves.     Finding 

it  difficult  to  combine  the  duties  of  a  courtier 

with  the  life  he  desired,  he  became  a  hermit, 

and  lived  for  several  years  in  the  desert  near 

Limoges.     One  day,  as  the  King,  with  his 

wife  and  courtiers,  was  out  hunting  in  the 

neighbourhood,    the    Queen    was    suddenly 

taken  ill,  and   seemed   about  to   die,  when 


124        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

she  was  relieved  by  the  prayers  of  St. 
Leonard,  and  safely  brought  forth  a  child. 
The  King,  in  gratitude,  gave  him  a  piece 
of  land  there,  and  he  cleared  it,  and  formed 
a  religious  community,  in  which  he  died, 
in  559.  He  was  ordained  deacon,  but  took 
no  higher  order,  though  he  became  abbot 
of  the  institution  he  founded.  He  is  claimed 
by  the  Benedictines. 

He  is  represented  as  a  deacon,  or  in  the 
black  or  white  tunic  of  his  order,  holding 
fetters,  his  distinguishing  attribute. 

LONGINUS,  St.  (Patron  Saint  of  Mantua). 
(i$th  March) 

The  soldier  who  pierced  the  side  of  Christ, 
at  the  crucifixion,  was,  according  to  legend, 
a  centurion,  named  Longinus.  He  was 
baptised,  and  became  a  Christian  teacher, 
and  suffered  martyrdom. 

He  is  represented  in  armour,  with  a  long 
lance,  in  pictures  of  the  Crucifixion,  or  as 
Patron  of  Mantua. 

Mantegna's  "  Madonna  of  the  Victory,"  in 
the  Louvre. 


THE  SAINTS  IN  ART  125 
Lorenzo  Giustiniani,  St.  {$th  September) 
Born  of  a  noble  family,  in  1380.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen,  called  to  the  service  of  God 
by  a  miraculous  vision,  he  took  refuge  with 
the  Augustine  Hermits  at  San  Giorgio  in 
Alga.  Becoming  distinguished  for  his  chari- 
ties and  penances,  he  was  appointed  Bishop 
of  Castello,  and  a  few  years  afterwards  the 
first  Patriarch  of  Venice.  He  died,  greatly 
venerated  for  his  humility  and  zeal,  in  1455. 

Louis  Beltran,  St.  (or  Bertran).  (gtk 
October) 
A  native  of  Valencia,  who  took  the 
Dominican  habit,  and  became  a  celebrated 
preacher  and  missionary  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  He  travelled  as  far  as  Peru,  where 
he  taught  for  several  years,  and  then  re- 
turned to  Spain.  He  was  a  friend  of  St. 
Theresa. 

Louis,  St.  (of  France).    (Ital.  San  Luigi.) 
(25/^  August) 
The  history  of  Louis  IX.,  King  of  France, 
and  his  eminence  in  virtue  and  piety,  are 


126        THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

well  known.  He  is  claimed  by  the  Fran- 
ciscans, for  he  assumed  the  habit  of  the 
Third  Order  of  Penitence  before  he  em- 
barked on  his  first  Crusade.  He  was 
influenced  by  the  two  great  passions  of  his 
age — for  Crusades,  and  for  relics  ;  and  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  the  Crown  of  Thorns, 
as  was  supposed,  to  Paris,  where  he  built 
over  it  the  Sainte  Chapelle.  He  died  in 
1270,  and  was  canonised  in  1297. 

He  is  represented  with  his  crown  and 
sceptre,  though  these  are  sometimes  at  his 
feet ;  and  his  proper  attribute  is  the  Crown 
of  Thorns,  generally  held  in  his  hand. 

Frescoes  by  Giotto  in  Santa  Croce, 
Florence. 

Louis,  St.  (of  Toulouse).  (Ital.  San 
Ludovico.)  (igth  August) 
Great-nephew  of  Louis  IX.  (St.  Louis) 
of  France,  and  grandson  of  Charles  of  Anjou, 
King  of  Naples  and  Sicily.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen  he  was  taken  as  a  hostage  for 
his  father  by  the  King  of  Aragon,  and  when 
he  was  released  from  captivity,  after  several 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        127 

years,  he  gave  up  all  his  rights  to  his  brother 
Robert,  and  became  a  Franciscan  friar.  He 
was  soon  after  made  Bishop  of  Toulouse, 
and  died,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  in 
1297. 

He  is  represented  as  very  young,  with 
episcopal  robes  over  the  Franciscan  habit, 
and  generally  with  fleurs-de-lys  on  some 
part  of  his  dress. 

Fresco  by  Giotto  and  statue  by  Dona- 
tello,  in  Santa  Croce,  Florence,  and  picture  by 
Simone  Martini,  in  San  Lorenzo,  Naples. 

Lucy,  St.  (Ital.  Lucia;  Fr.  Luce).  (13/A 
December) 
Like  St.  Agatha,  she  was  a  native  of  Sicily. 
She  lived  at  Syracuse  with  her  mother,  who 
was  a  widow.  They  went  on  pilgrimage  to 
St.  Agatha's  tomb,  and  there  the  mother, 
Eutychia,  was  healed  of  a  grievous  illness. 
St.  Lucy  then  insisted  on  giving  all  their 
possessions  to  the  poor ;  this  so  enraged 
the  young  man  to  whom  her  relations  had 
betrothed  her  that  he  denounced  her  to 
the  Governor  of  Sicily  as  a  Christian.      The 


i28        THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

Governor  commanded  her  to  sacrifice  to  his 
idols,  and,  on  her  refusing,  started  a  series  of 
tortures  to  compel  her,  but  when  men  tried 
to  take  her  away  to  persecution,  they  miracu- 
lously became  immovable,  and  men  and  oxen, 
pulling  her  by  ropes,  produced  no  effect 
whatever.  As  she  could  not  be  moved,  he 
ordered  her  to  be  burnt ;  this  failing  to  hurt 
her,  she  was  pierced  by  the  sword.  A  more 
modern  legend  says  that  the  youth  who 
wooed  her  protested  that  her  beautiful  eyes 
gave  him  no  rest,  so  St.  Lucy,  fearing  that  they 
caused  him  to  offend,  cut  them  out  with  her 
own  hands,  and  sent  them  to  him  on  a  dish, 
whereupon  he  became  a  Christian.  Later 
on  she  recovered  her  sight.  She  is  invoked 
against  blindness  and  all  diseases  of  the  eyes. 

She  is  represented  as  young  and  beautiful, 
sometimes  with  a  lamp  in  her  hand  (in  refer- 
ence to  her  name),  but  her  distinguishing 
attribute  is  her  eyes  on  a  salver,  or,  less 
frequently,  the  instrument  with  which  she 
cut   them   out. 

Tiepolo's  "  Communion  of  St.  Lucy,"  in 
Santi  Apostoli,  Venice. 


THE    SAINTS   IN   ART        129 

Luke,  St.  (Biblical).  (See  Evangelists.) 
(iStk  October) 

A  tradition  of  the  Greek  Church  makes  St. 
Luke  an  artist,  and  his  special  delight  was  to 
paint  the  Virgin.  He  is  supposed  to  have 
carried  everywhere  with  him  a  portrait  of 
the  Virgin,  and  by  means  of  it  to  have  made 
many  converts. 

He  is  represented  as  an  evangelist,  with 
an  oxt  often  winged,  or,  with  his  easel  and 
brush,  painting  the  Virgin — e.g.  picture  by 
Roger  Van  der  Weyden,  Pinacoteca,  Munich, 
and  by  Jean  Grossaert,  in  Museum  Prague, 
and  pictures  of  the  School  of  Raphael,  in  the 
Accademia  di  San  Luca,  Rome. 

Lupo,  St.    (See  St.  Grata.) 

Magi  (the  Wise  Men  or  the  Three  Kings). 

(Biblical.)     {6th  January) 

The  mediaeval  legend  names  the  three  wise 

men   Caspar,   Melchior,  and    Balthasar — the 

first   being   about   sixty   years    of   age,   the 

second  about  forty,  and  the  third,  sometimes 

1 


130        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

a  Moor  or  negro,  about  twenty.  They  were 
of  kingly,  or  at  least  of  princely,  rank,  and, 
starting  from  various  points,  they  met  on  the 
way,  and  travelled  together  to  Bethlehem. 
Tradition  also  says  that,  many  years  after, 
they  were  baptised  by  St.  Thomas,  during  his 
missionary  travels  in  the  East,  and  that  their 
bodies,  after  long  wanderings,  rested  at  length 
in  Cologne  Cathedral. 

Picture  by  Gentile  da  Fabriano,  in  Ac- 
cademia,  and  by  Diirer,  in  Uffizi,  Florence. 

Marcella  (or  Martilla),  St. 

The  handmaiden  of  SS.  Martha  and  Mary, 
who  accompanied  them  on  their  voyage  to 
Marseilles  (see  St.  Mary  Magdalene). 
She  is  said  to  have  written  the  Life  of  St. 
Martha,  and  preached  the  Gospel  in  Sclav- 
onia.  She  is  often  represented  in  pictures 
of  the  house  at  Bethany,  sometimes  cook- 
ing in  the  background.  Not  to  be  con- 
fused with  St.  Marcella,  the  Roman  widow, 
friend  of  St.  Jerome,  of  whom  there  is  a 
picture  by  Borgognone,  in  the  Certosa  of 
Pavia. 


THE   SAINTS    IN   ART        131 

Margaret,  St.    {20th  July) 

A  legend,  which  is  of  Eastern  origin,  says 
that  she  was  the  daughter  of  a  priest  of 
Antioch.  She  was  sent  out  into  the  country 
to  be  nursed,  and  the  woman  who  took  charge 
of  her  was  a  Christian.  Margaret  was  brought 
up  in  the  true  Faith,  and  determined  to  con- 
secrate her  life  to  Christ.  One  day  the 
Governor  of  Antioch,  passing  by,  saw  her  as 
she  was  minding  sheep,  and,  attracted  by 
her  beauty,  commanded  her  to  be  brought  to 
his  palace.  Margaret  then  declared  herself  a 
Christian,  and,  forsaken  in  consequence  by 
her  parents,  she  was  left  in  the  power  of  the 
Governor.  He  endeavoured  by  the  most 
cruel  tortures  to  subdue  her,  and  make  her 
his  wife ;  but,  even  when  in  agony  so  terrible 
that  the  tyrant  himself  hid  his  face,  she  re- 
mained firm.  She  was  then  thrown  into  a 
dungeon,  where  Satan,  in  the  form  of  a  dragon, 
came  upon  her.  She  held  up  the  cross,  and 
he  fled  ;  or,  a  more  popular  version  of  the 
story,  he  swallowed  her,  but  at  once  burst, 
and  she  came  forth  alive.  Further  tortures 
only  caused  many,  at  the  sight  of  her  youth 


1 32        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

and  beauty,  to  accept  the  Faith,  so  the 
Governor  ordered  her  to  be  beheaded.  As 
she  died,  she  prayed  that  all  women  who,  in 
remembrance  of  her  sufferings,  invoked  her 
in  childbirth,  should  find  help. 

She  is  represented  as  young  and  fair,  tread- 
ing on  a  dragon,  She  has  the  cross,  palm,  or 
crown  of  martyrdom  ;  sometimes  (in  allusion 
to  her  name)  she  has  pearls  round  her  hair. 

Picture  by  Giulio  Romano  (from  Raphael's 
design),  in  the  Louvre. 

Mark,  St.  (Biblical).  (Ital.  San  Marco.) 
(See  Evangelists.)  (2$tk  April) 
Tradition  says  that  St.  Mark  became  the 
companion  and  amanuensis  of  St.  Peter,  by 
whose  direction  he  went  to  preach  the  Gospel 
in  Egypt,  where  he  founded  the  Church 
of  Alexandria.  Here  he  performed  many 
miracles,  and  on  one  occasion  healed  Anianus, 
a  cobbler,  who  had  wounded  his  hand  with 
an  awl.  This  man  afterwards  became  a 
zealous  Christian,  and  succeeded  St.  Mark  as 
Bishop  of  Alexandria.  St.  Mark  was  finally 
seized  and  dragged  through  the  streets  till  he 


«  ^£     ^ 


S   eft 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        133 

died,  a  tempest  of  rain  and  hail  meanwhile 
overwhelming  his  murderers.  His  remains 
were  brought  to  Venice  about  815,  and  the 
Cathedral  of  St.  Mark  was  built  over  them. 
There  are  various  legends  of  St.  Mark  ap- 
pearing at  later  times  in  Venice ;  in  a  famous 
one,  he,  with  St.  George  and  St.  Nicholas, 
drives  off  a  galley  full  of  demons  from  the 
city  in  a  fisherman's  boat,  with  the  sign  of 
the  cross.  St.  Mark  sent  the  fisherman  to 
the  Doge  to  be  paid  for  his  labour,  and  gave 
him  his  ring  as  a  token  that  it  was  St.  Mark 
who  sent  him,  and  as  the  ring  could  not  be 
found  in  its  usual  place  among  the  relics,  the 
Doge  was  constrained  to  believe  the  story. 
He  is  also  said  to  have  appeared  at  the 
torture  and  execution  of  a  Christian  slave, 
and  to  have  broken  the  instruments  in  pieces. 

Heis  represented  as  an  evangelist,  with  a  lion, 
often  winged ;  as  Bishop  of  Alexandria ;  or 
with  his  pen  and  book ;  and  often  with  St.  Peter. 

A  notable  picture  of  him  by  Fra  Barto- 
lomeo  is  in  the  Pitti,  Florence ;  illustrations 
of  the  legends  by  Tintoretto  and  Paris  Bor- 
done  are  in  the  Accademia,  Venice. 


i34        THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

Martha,  St.  (Biblical).  (Patroness  of 
Cooks  and  Housewives.)     (29/^  July) 

According  to  tradition,  she  was  the  means 
of  converting  her  sister  (see  St.  Mary  Mag- 
dalen) from  her  evil  life,  and  is  sometimes 
represented  as  leading  her  to  Christ.  She 
and  Mary  are  symbolical  respectively  of 
active  and  contemplative  life,  or  of  female 
discretion  and  housewifery,  as  contrasted 
with  frailty.  A  Provencal  legend  tells  that 
while  Martha  was  preaching  near  Aix,  a 
dragon,  who  lived  in  the  Rhone,  devastated 
the  country,  but  was  overcome  by  her  sprink- 
ling holy  water  on  him,  bound  with  her 
girdle,  and  killed. 

She  is  represented,  often  in  homely  dress, 
with  some  household  or  cooking  utensil,  or 
bunch  of  keys  1  sometimes  with  a.  pot  of  holy 
water  in  her  hand,  and  a  dragon,  bound,  at 
her  feet. 

Martin,  St.  (of  Tours).     {nth  November) 

Was  born  in  the  Roman  province  of  Pan- 
nonia,  in  the  reign  of  Constantine.  His 
parents  were  pagans,  but  at  an  early  age  he 


THE   SAINTS    IN   ART        135 

wished  to  become  a  Christian.  He  was  a 
tribune  in  the  army,  and  was  sent  into  Gaul 
on  a  campaign.  He  was  distinguished 
throughout  his  career  for  his  gentleness, 
humility,  and  charity,  as  well  as  for  his 
valour.  His  legion  was  quartered  at  Amiens 
during  the  very  cold  winter  of  332,  and  here 
one  day  he  met  a  poor  shivering  beggar,  at 
the  gate  of  the  city,  and  cutting  his  cloak  in 
two  with  his  sword,  gave  the  beggar  half. 
That  night  he  had  a  vision  of  CHRIST  clad 
with  the  half  of  his  cloak,  and  he  was  soon 
after  baptised.  When  he  reached  the  age  of 
forty,  he  wished  to  leave  the  army  and  devote 
himself  to  religion,  but  the  Emperor  taunted 
him  with  fear,  and  St.  Martin,  to  refute  him, 
offered  to  be  placed  in  front  of  the  army, 
naked,  with  nothing  but  a  cross  in  his  hand. 
This  was  to  have  been  done,  but  the  enemy 
capitulated  that  very  day.  After  leaving  the 
army  he  led  a  retired  religious  life,  and  was 
made  Bishop  of  Tours  in  371.  Many  mir- 
acles are  recorded  of  him  :  he  raised  a  widow's 
son  to  life,  and  restored  a  slave  of  the  Pro- 
consul from  possession  by  a  devil.     He  waged 


136        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

war  against  the  idolaters  of  his  time,  and  con- 
verted a  large  part  of  Gaul  to  Christianity. 

He  is  represented  as  a  soldier,  often  on 
horseback,  generally  dividing  his  cloak  with 
the  beggar.  Sometimes  he  is  in  episcopal 
robes,  and  a  beggar  is  his  attribute. 

Frescoes  of  his  life  by  Simone  Martini 
are  in  the  lower  church  of  San  Francesco, 
Assisi. 

MARTINIAN,  St.  (Centurion  at  the  Mamertine 
Prison).     (See  St.  Peter.)    {2nd  July) 

Mary  of  Egypt,  St,  (Fr.  La  Gipesienne  ; 
La  Jussienne).  {2nd  April) 
A  penitent  woman  of  Alexandria,  who  was 
turned  from  her  evil  life  by  supernatural 
power  preventing  her  crossing  the  threshold 
of  a  church  in  Jerusalem.  She  retired  to  the 
desert,  taking  with  her  only  three  small 
loaves,  and  lived  there  for  nearly  fifty  years, 
in  the  direst  poverty  and  rags.  She  was 
discovered  at  length  by  Zosimus,  a  priest, 
who  gave  her  the  Sacrament.  When  he  came 
again  she  was  dead,  and  he,  old  and  infirm, 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        137 

was  trying  to  bury  her  body  when  a  lion 
came  out  of  a  wood,  and  dug  her  grave  with 
his  paws. 

She  is  represented  as  old  and  wasted,  with 
grey  or  black  hair  (thus  distinguished  from 
St.  Mary  Magdalen),  sometimes  holding  three 
small  loaves. 

Picture  by  Filippino  Lippi,  in  the  Ac- 
cademia,  Florence. 

Mary  Magdalene,  St.  (Biblical).  (Patroness 
of  Marseilles,  and  of  Penitent  Women.) 
{22nd  July) 
Western  art,  following  tradition,  makes  no 
distinction  between  Mary,  the  sister  of  Martha 
and  Lazarus,  Mary  Magdalene,  and  "  the 
woman  which  was  a  sinner,"  though  they 
appear  to  have  been  historically  three  dis- 
tinct persons.  According  to  the  legend,  St. 
Mary  and  her  brother  and  sister,  accompanied 
by  SS.  Maximin  and  Marcella  (q.v.),  after  the 
Ascension,  set  out  in  a  boat,  without  sails, 
oars,  or  rudder,  and  came  to  Marseilles. 
Here  they  converted  the  heathen  and  taught, 
St.  Lazarus  becoming  the  first  Bishop  of  Mar- 


138        THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

seilles.  Many  miracles  are  related  of  St. 
Mary.  A  certain  prince  of  Provence  and  his 
wife  promised  to  believe  the  Gospel  if  they 
were  granted  a  son.  They  set  out  to  Jerusa- 
lem to  prove  the  truth  of  what  they  were  told, 
and  on  the  way  a  son  was  born,  but  the 
mother  died.  The  sailors  insisted  on  putting 
the  baby,  and  the  body  of  its  mother,  ashore 
on  a  rocky,  uninhabited  island.  The  prince 
prayed  to  St.  Mary  for  the  safety  of  his  child, 
and  when  he  returned,  two  years  later,  he 
found  it  alive  and  well,  and  the  woman  came 
to  life  again  at  the  approach  of  her  husband. 
Tradition  says  that  St.  Mary  went  into  soli- 
tude in  the  wilderness,  and  remained  there 
thirty  years,  fasting,  reading,  and  often 
visited  by  angels,  who  bore  her  at  last  to 
heaven. 

She  is  represented  as  very  beautiful,  usually 
with  long  fair  hair.  Her  indispensable  attri- 
bute is  a  box  of  ointment.  Sometimes  she  is 
in  the  desert,  praying  or  reading,  and  with 
emblems  of  penance.  Her  figure  is  always 
symbolic  of  Christian  penitence. 

Fresco,     "  Noli     me     Tangere,"    by     Fra 


<  w  ~ 

Z  B  2 

2  h  f* 

s  °  • 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        139 

Angelico,  in  San  Marco,  Florence,  and 
picture  by  Titian,  in  the  Pitti.  Series  of 
frescoes  by  Ferrari,  in  San  Cristoforo,  Ver- 
celli. 

Mary  the  Virgin,  St.  (Biblical).  {2nd  Feb- 
ruary-,  2$th  March,  l$th  August \  2nd 
July,  8tk  September) 
According  to  the  Apocryphal  Gospel  of 
the  Life  of  Mary,  Joachim  of  Nazareth 
espoused  Anna,  a  maiden  of  Bethlehem. 
They  both  "did  right  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord,"  dividing  their  substance  into  three 
parts — one  for  the  Temple  and  its  ministers, 
another  for  pilgrims  and  the  poor,  and  a 
third  for  themselves  and  their  household. 
After  living  twenty  years  without  children, 
they  vowed  to  the  LORD  that  if  He  would 
give  them  a  child,  they  would  dedicate  it 
to  Him.  Joachim  used  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem 
for  the  great  feasts,  and  at  the  Feast  of  the 
Dedication,  being  repelled  by  the  High  Priest 
as  childless,  and  unworthy  to  bring  an  offer- 
ing, he  went  apart  into  the  wilderness,  and 
abode  with  the  shepherds.     There  an  angel 


140        THE    SAINTS   IN   ART 

appeared  to  him,  and  promised  him  a 
daughter,  who  was  to  be  called  Mary,  and 
consecrated  to  the  LORD,  for  she  should 
be  the  mother  of  the  Saviour  of  all  nations. 
As  a  sign,  the  angel  told  him  that  on  his 
return  he  would  meet  his  wife  at  the 
Golden  Gate  of  Jerusalem,  coming  to  welcome 
him.  The  same  angel  appeared  to  Anna,  with 
the  same  message,  and  she  and  her  husband 
met,  rejoicing,  at  the  gate. 

When  the  child  was  born  they  called 
her  Mary,  and  at  three  years  old  (though 
generally  represented  as  much  older)  they 
brought  her  to  the  Temple,  to  dedicate 
her  to  the  LORD  ;  and  she  ascended  the 
fifteen  steps  leading  up  to  the  altar  with- 
out assistance.  This  is  a  very  favourite 
subject  for  pictures,  called  the  "  Presen- 
tation of  the  Virgin  in  the  Temple." 
Mary  lived  in  the  Temple,  learning  and 
working,  and  grew  in  grace,  wisdom,  and 
stature.  When  she  was  fourteen  the  High 
Priest  commanded  that  she,  and  the  other 
virgins  of  the  Temple,  should  return  home, 
and  marry,  according  to  the  custom  of  their 


THE   SAINTS   IN  ART        141 

nation.  As  she  refused,  the  elders  were 
summoned  to  consider  the  matter.  While 
they  prayed,  a  voice  from  the  sanctuary 
commanded  that  every  unwedded  male  of 
the  House  of  David  should  place  his  rod  on 
the  altar,  when  the  rod  of  him  who  should 
be  the  spouse  of  Mary  would  bud,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  as  a  dove  would  descend  on  it. 
There  was  among  them  a  certain  Joseph,  an 
old  man,  and  a  widower,  who,  thinking  him- 
self too  old,  kept  back  his  rod.  When  no 
miracle  took  place  the  High  Priest  called 
for  Joseph,  who  presented  his  rod,  and  it 
came  to  pass  as  the  voice  had  said.  It  was 
then  clear  to  all  men  that  he  was  the  chosen 
spouse,  and  they  were  accordingly  married. 
An  old  tradition  says  that  the  other  suitors 
broke  their  wands  in  anger. 

An  ancient  legend  relates  that  the  Tibur- 
tine  Sibyl  appeared  to  the  Emperor  Augustus, 
and  announced  the  birth  of  Christ,  a  short 
time  before  the  event.  The  Emperor  in- 
quired of  the  sibyl  whether  he  should  allow 
himself  to  be  worshipped  with  divine  honours, 
and  she,  taking  him  apart,  showed  him  an 


142        THE    SAINTS    IN    ART 

altar,  above  which  was  the  Virgin,  with  the 
Infant  CHRIST,  enthroned  in  glory  ;  and  a 
voice  said  :  "  This  is  the  altar  of  the  Son 
of  the  Living  God."  Then  Augustus  caused 
an  altar  to  be  built  on  the  Capitoline  Hill, 
where  in  after  times  the  Church  of  the  Ara 
Coeli  was  erected. 

There  is  a  legend  that,  in  their  flight  from 
Bethlehem,  the  Holy  Family  passed  some 
husbandmen  sowing  corn  in  a  field,  and  the 
Virgin  told  them  that  if  anyone  asked  when 
the  Son  of  Man  passed  by,  they  should  say  : 
"  When  we  were  sowing  the  corn."  During 
the  night  the  corn  grew  up  and  ripened,  and 
the  next  day,  when  Herod's  soldiers  came, 
the  men  were  harvesting  it.  They  replied 
as  they  had  been  told,  and  the  pursuit  was 
stayed.  In  the  subject  called  a  "  Riposo," 
the  Holy  Family  are  seen  resting  under  a 
tree,  during  their  flight  into  Egypt,  or  while 
sojourning  there. 

The  story  of  the  life  of  the  Virgin  in  the 
Gospels  has  been  elaborated  and  amplified 
by  tradition  to  an  almost  inconceivable 
extent.     Pictures  of  the   Annunciation,   the 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        143 

Visitation,  the  Nativity,  the  Presentation 
in  the  Temple,  and  the  Flight  into  Egypt 
are  all  so  universal  and  well  known  that 
they  need  no  comment.  The  Virgin  is 
represented  in  pictures  of  the  Finding  of 
Christ  in  the  Temple,  and  of  the  Death  of 
Joseph,  which  is  supposed  to  have  taken 
place  before  the  beginning  of  Christ's 
ministry.  She  also  appears  at  the  Marriage 
at  Cana,  and  is  occasionally  introduced  into 
other  scenes,  when  not  specially  mentioned 
in  the  Gospels,  and  in  a  traditional  farewell 
with  her  Son  before  His  death,  counted  as 
one  of  the  "Seven  Sorrows  of  Mary."  In 
pictures  of  the  Procession  to  Calvary,  the 
Crucifixion,  the  Descent  from  the  Cross,  and 
the  Entombment,  she  is  almost  invariably 
present.  A  frequent  subject  is  the  "  Deposi- 
tion," representing  the  dead  body  of  CHRIST 
laid  upon  the  ground,  or  resting  on  the  lap 
of  his  mother.  This  is  called  a  "  Pieta,"  but 
more  properly  so  when  only  the  figures  of 
CHRIST  and  the  Virgin  (sometimes  attended 
by  angels)  are  seen.  There  is  a  very  early 
tradition  that,  after  His  Resurrection,  CHRIST 


m 


144        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

appeared  first  of  all  to  His  mother,  bearing 
a  banner  with  the  cross  upon  it,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  company  of  angels,  patriarchs, 
and  prophets ;  and  she  is  generally  seen  in 
pictures  of  the  Ascension,  and  of  the  Descent 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Many  representations  of 
the  Madonna,  especially  those  of  later  date, 
refer  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception. 

There  are  few  representations  of  her  later 
years,  except  those  connected  with  her  Death 
and  Assumption,  the  scenes  of  which  consist 
of  seven  distinct  events:  (1)  The  announce- 
ment to  her  of  her  death  by  the  Archangel 
Michael,  bearing  a  palm ;  (2)  Her  leave- 
taking  of  the  apostles ;  (3)  Her  death  ; 
(4)  She  is  borne  to  the  sepulchre ;  (5)  Her 
entombment  ;  (6)  Her  assumption  to 
heaven ;  (7)  Her  coronation  and  enthrone- 
ment by  the  side  of  her  Son.  In  pictures  of 
her  death  the  figure  of  CHRIST  is  often  in- 
troduced, among  a  group  of  saints  receiv- 
ing the  departing  soul. 

(For  the  legend  of  the  Girdle,  see  St. 
Thomas.) 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        145 

Matthew,  St.  (Biblical).     (See  Evangel- 
ists.)   (21st  September) 

According  to  tradition  he  preached  in 
Egypt  and  Ethiopia,  where  he  performed 
many  miracles,  restoring  the  son  of  a  king 
to  life,  and  healing  his  daughter  of  leprosy. 
One  tradition  describes  his  martyrdom  under 
Diocletian,  but  according  to  another  he  died 
in  peace. 

He  is  represented  writing,  with  an  angel 
dictating  to  him,  or  holding  an  inkhorn ; 
or  a  bag,  to  signify  his  profession  of  tax 
gatherer,  or  sitting  at  the  receipt  of 
custom. 


Mattias,  St.  (Biblical).  (Ital.  San  Mattia.) 
(24/^  February) 
According  to  tradition  he  preached  the 
Gospel  in  Judaea,  and  suffered  martyrdom 
at  the  hands  of  the  Jews,  either  by  the 
lance  or  by  the  axe.  In  Italian  pictures  the 
former  is  his  attribute,  in  German  ones  the 
latter. 


146        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Maurice,  St.  (Ital.  Maurizio).  (Patron 
Saint  of  Foot-soldiers,  and  of  Savoy.) 
{22nd  September) 

He  was  commander  of  the  Theban  Legion 
of  the  Roman  army.  It  numbered  6666,  all 
Christians,  and  when,  in  the  year  286,  it  was 
summoned  by  the  Emperor  Maximin  to  join 
his  army,  then  invading  Gaul,  Maurice  and 
some  companies  were  called  upon  to  join 
in  idolatrous  rites,  and  to  help  in  extirpat- 
ing the  Christians.  This  they  refused  to  do, 
and  the  Emperor  twice  ordered  the  legion 
to  be  decimated  by  lot,  but  the  remainder 
continued  steadfast ;  so  a  general  massacre 
was  ordered,  and  they  perished  to  a  man. 
Legend  also  relates  that  St.  Gereon,  with 
another  section,  met  with  a  similar  fate  at 
Cologne. 

He  is  generally  represented  in  armour, 
with  a  sword  and  banner. 

Legend  represented  by  Luini  in  frescoes 
at  San  Maurizio,  Milan. 

Maurus,  St.  (See  St.  Benedict.)  (15//& 
January) 


ST.    MICHAEL   AND   THE   DRAGON 
From  the  fainting  by  Piero  delta  Francesca  in  the  National  Gallery 


91 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART       147 

Maximin,  St. 

Tradition  says  he  was  one  of  the  seventy- 
two  disciples  sent  forth  to  preach,  and 
that  he  went  with  SS.  Martha,  Mary,  and 
Lazarus,  to  Marseilles.  (See  St.  Mary 
Magdalene.)  According  to  a  legend  he  gave 
the  Sacrament  to  St.  Mary  just  before  her 
death. 

He  often  appears  in  pictures  of  St.  Lazarus 
and  his  sisters,  sometimes  as  a  bishop. 

Michael,  St.  (the  Archangel).     (Ital.  San 

Michele    or    Sammichele.)     (29/A 

September) 

The  chief  of  the  Celestial  Host,  and  victor 

over  the  powers  of  evil.     Hence  he  represents 

the  triumph  of  the  spiritual  over  the  material. 

He  is  the   Lord  and  Arbiter  of  souls,  and 

the  Guardian   Angel    of  the   Hebrews.     He 

appears   in    Old    Testament   scenes    as    the 

messenger  angel.      He  also  announced  her 

death  to  the  Virgin  Mary.     (See  St.  Mary 

Virgin.) 

He  is  represented  winged,  with  spear  and 
shield,   overcoming   the    dragon ;    also   with 


148       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

a  banner  and  cross,  sometimes  with  a 
sceptre ;  or  weighing  the  souls  of  men  in  a 
balance. 

A  notable  picture  of  him  by  Perugino  is  in 
the  National  Gallery. 

Miniato,  St. 

According  to  the  Florentine  legend,  an 
Armenian  prince,  who  served  in  the  Roman 
army  under  Decius.  He  was  denounced  as 
a  Christian,  brought  before  the  Emperor,  and 
thrown  to  the  beasts  in  the  Amphitheatre. 
When  this  and  all  the  usual  tortures  failed, 
he  was  beheaded,  in  254. 

Monica,  St.    (See  St.  Augustine.)    (4/A 

May) 

Natalia,  St.    (See  St.  Adrian.) 

NAZARIUS   and   CELSUS,  SS.  (two   martyrs 
of  Milan).     {2&th  July) 
Legend  says  that  St.  Nazarius  was  the  son 
of  a  Christian  mother,  who  had  him  baptised 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART       149 

by  St.  Peter.  He  became  a  fervent  Christian, 
and,  accompanied  by  a  youth  named  Celsus, 
preached  the  Gospel  in  Cisalpine  Gaul,  con- 
verting many.  They  were  beheaded  together 
at  Milan. 

They  are  always  represented  together,  St. 
Nazarius  as  old,  St.  Celsus  as  young. 

In  their  church  at  Verona  is  a  picture  of 
them  by  Bartolomeo  Montagna. 

Nicholas,  St.  (of  Myra).     (6th  December) 

Patron  Saint  of  Children,  also  of  Sailors, 
and  Seaports.  Popularly  invoked  by  all 
in  inferior  positions — the  young,  the  weak, 
the  poor,  the  slave,  the  captive,  and  the 
sailor  struggling  with  the  sea.  He  was  born 
in  the  third  century,  in  Lycia,  Asia  Minor,  to 
Christian  parents,  in  answer  to  prayers  and 
almsgiving.  According  to  legend  he  was  a 
prodigy  from  his  birth,  for  in  his  first  bath 
he  stood  up  and  joined  his  hands  in  thanks- 
giving to  GOD.  He  was  dedicated  from 
childhood  to  the  service  of  the  Church.  His 
parents  died  while  he  was  still  a  youth,  leav- 
ing him  great  riches,  which  he  distributed  to 


ISO       THE    SAINTS    IN   ART 

the  poor.  A  certain  nobleman  in  the  city 
was  reduced  to  such  poverty  that  he  and  his 
three  daughters  had  nothing  to  eat ;  as  there 
seemed  no  way  of  saving  his  children  from 
an  evil  life  he  became  desperate.  Nicholas, 
hearing  of  this,  went  stealthily  by  night  and 
found  him  weeping  while  the  daughters 
slept.  He  threw  a  purse  of  gold  in  at  the 
window  and  crept  away.  The  father  gave  it 
as  a  marriage  portion  to  one  of  his  daughters, 
and  the  same  thing  happened  for  the  second 
and  the  third.  Finally  the  secret  was  dis- 
covered, but  St.  Nicholas  insisted  that  the 
nobleman  should  tell  no  one.  After  some 
years  he  voyaged  to  the  Holy  Land  :  on  the 
way,  in  a  terrible  storm,  he  rebuked  the  waves, 
and  restored  to  life  a  drowned  sailor.  St. 
Nicholas  then  went  to  Myra,  where  he  was  after 
a  time  made  bishop,  for  he  happened  to  fulfil 
a  prophecy  that  the  man  chosen  by  God  for 
the  post  was  the  first  who  entered  the  church 
in  the  morning.  While  he  held  this  office 
there  was  a  great  famine :  he  insisted  that 
ships  in  the  harbour,  laden  with  wheat  bound 
for  Constantinople,  should  be  unloaded  for 


MADONNA    ANS1DEI 

VIRGIN    AND    CHILD,    WITH    ST.    JOHN    THE    BAPTIST    AND    ST.    NICHOLAS    OF    BARI 

From  the  painting  by  Raphael  in  the  National  Gallery 


'*; 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART       151 

the  benefit  of  his  people,  promising  the 
owners  that  when  they  arrived  at  their 
destination  they  would  still  be  found  full  of 
wheat ;  and  so  it  was.  One  day,  during  the 
famine,  while  travelling  through  his  diocese, 
he  came  to  the  house  of  a  man  who  stole  and 
ate  children.  He  was  actually  preparing  some 
for  St.  Nicholas,  who,  when  he  discovered, 
went  to  the  tub  where  the  limbs  were,  and, 
making  the  sign  of  the  cross,  the  children 
rose  up  whole  and  well.  During  a  visit  of 
the  tribunes  of  Constantine's  army  to  Myra, 
some  innocent  men  were  condemned  and  led 
out  to  execution.  St.  Nicholas  rushed  to  the 
spot,  seized  the  sword,  and  saved  the  men. 
When  the  tribunes  returned  to  Constanti- 
nople they  were  accused  of  treason,  and 
thrown  into  prison.  Remembering  St. 
Nicholas,  they  called  upon  him,  and  he 
appeared  to  Constantine  and  ordered  him 
to  pardon  them.  He  did  so,  and  sent 
them  to  Myra  with  a  beautiful  copy  of 
the  Gospels  for  St.  Nicholas,  who  became 
henceforth  the  Patron  of  Prisoners.  He 
died  in   326.     His  remains  were  afterwards 


152       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

moved  to   Bari.     He   is   called   Nicholas  of 
Bari. 

He  is  represented  as  a  bishop,  with  three 
golden  balls,  or  purses,  as  his  attribute,  notably 
in  Raphael's  "Ansidei  Madonna,"  in  the 
National  Gallery. 

Nicholas,  St.  (of  Tolentino).  (10th  Sep- 
tember) 

Was  born  about  1239,  at  St.  Angelo,  near 
Fermo.  He  very  early  in  life  became  an 
Augustine  friar,  and  was  renowned  for  his 
extreme  activity  and  austerity.  Legend  says 
that  at  his  birth  a  star  of  great  splendour 
shot  from  St.  Angelo,  and  stood  over  Tolen- 
tino, where  he  afterwards  lived.  He  never 
tasted  animal  food,  and  when,  in  his  last 
illness,  a  dish  of  doves  was  set  before  him  he 
spread  his  hand  over  them,  and  they  flew 
away. 

He  is  represented  in  the  black  habit  of  his 
order,  a  star  on  his  breast,  and  holds  a  cruci- 
fix, wreathed  with  a  lily, 

A  picture  of  him  by  Mazzolino  is  in  the 
National   Gallery,   and    others    are    in    the 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART       153 

churches    of  San   Gimignano,   where   he   is 
much  revered. 

NlLUS,  St.  (of  Grotta  Ferrata).  (26/A  Sep- 
tember) 

A  Greek  of  Tarentum,  who  in  old  age 
became  a  monk  of  the  Order  of  St.  Basil,  and 
in  a  few  years  the  head  of  his  community. 
Driven  from  the  east  to  the  west  of  Italy  by 
the  invasions  of  the  Saracens,  he  found  a 
refuge  at  Monte  Cassino,  and  afterwards  at 
the  Convent  of  St.  Alexis,  at  Rome.  In  con- 
sequence of  the  horrors  and  outrages  which 
attended  the  invasion  of  Italy  by  the  Emperor 
Otho  III.  he  fled  to  a  lonely  cavern  near 
Frascati,  over  which  arose  in  after  years  the 
magnificent  Convent  and  Church  of  San 
Basilio  of  Grotta  Ferrata.  Here  for  cen- 
turies the  Rule  of  St.  Basil  has  been  obeyed, 
and  the  Mass  said  in  Greek.  St.  Nilus  died, 
full  of  years  and  honours,  in  1002. 

Frescoes  illustrating  his  life,  by  Domeni- 
chino,  are  in  the  chapel  of  St.  Nilus,  at  Grotta 
Ferrata. 


154       THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

NORBERT,  St.  (the  Founder  of  the  Premon- 
stratensians).     (6th  June) 

Born  at  Cologne,  he  was  a  kinsman  of  the 
Emperor  Henry  IV.  His  early  years  were 
spent  at  Court,  in  the  pursuit  of  pleasure ; 
but,  after  a  narrow  escape  from  death  in  a 
storm,  he  sold  his  possessions  and  set  out  to 
preach  repentance.  After  travelling  through 
the  north  of  France,  and  winning  many 
followers,  he  had  a  vision  in  which  the 
Virgin  showed  him  a  field  {Pre  Montre), 
where  he  established  his  Order  of  "  Pre- 
monstratensians."  The  Rule  was  that  of 
the  Augustines,  but  the  discipline  more 
severe.  St.  Norbert  became  Archbishop  of 
Magdeburg,  and  died  in  1 134.  A  story  is  told 
that  one  day  at  Mass,  when  he  was  about  to 
drink  from  the  consecrated  cup,  he  saw  in 
it  a  large  venomous  spider.  He  drank  not- 
withstanding, and  miraculously  remained 
uninjured. 

He  is  represented  as  an  archbishop,  some- 
times preaching,  sometimes  holding  a  cup 
with  a  spider.  His  other  attribute  is  a  demon 
bound  at  his  feet. 


THE    SAINTS   IN   ART       155 

Omobuono,  St.  (Patron  Saint  of  Tailors). 
{i^th  November) 

A  merchant  of  Cremona ;  regarded  as  the 
protector  of  that  city,  and  the  patron  and 
example  of  all  good  citizens.  By  thrift  and 
diligence  he  became  rich,  in  spite  of  his 
boundless  charity  to  the  poor.  It  is  said 
that  once,  on  a  journey  with  his  family,  he 
distributed  all  his  bread  and  wine  to  some 
poor  pilgrims,  and  that  angels  miraculously 
supplied  his  own  wants.  He  died  while 
kneeling  before  the  crucifix,  with  his  arms 
stretched  out  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  and  was 
canonised  by  Pope  Innocent  III. 

He  is  represented  in  a  loose  tunic  and  cap, 
trimmed  with  fur,  distributing  alms  to  the 
poor  ;  sometimes  wine  flasks  stand  near  him. 

Onophrius,  St.  (Ital.  Onofrio  or  Hono 
FRIO).  {\2th  June) 
A  monk  of  Thebes,  and  one  of  the  very 
early  hermits  of  Egypt.  According  to  the 
old  legend,  he  dwelt  in  a  cave  in  the  desert 
for  sixty  years,  seeing  no  human  being, 
speaking  no  word,  and  unclothed  except  by 


156       THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

leaves  twisted  round  him,  and  became  in 
appearance  like  a  wild  beast.  In  after  years 
he  was  made  Patron  of  Monasteries  where 
strict  solitude  and  silence  were  enforced. 

He  is  represented  as  very  old,  with  long, 
matted,  grey  hair,  and  with  a  leafy  branch 
twisted  round  his  loins. 

Ottilia,  St.    ( i  ith  December) 

Patron  Saint  of  Alsace,  was  daughter  of 
a  Duke  of  Alsace,  and  was  born  blind.  Her 
father  ordered  her  to  be  exposed,  but  she 
was  rescued  by  her  nurse,  and  on  being 
baptised  by  a  pious  bishop  she  received 
her  sight.  She  founded  a  monastery  at 
Hohenburg,  in  which  she  lived,  with  many 
nuns,  in  great  virtue  and  devotion,  and  she 
died  Abbess  of  it  in  720. 

She  is  represented  as  a  Benedictine  nun, 
often  holding  a  book,  on  which  are  her  eyes. 

PANTALEON,    vSt.    (Patron    of    Physicians). 
{2Jth  July) 
Born  at  Nicomedia,in  Bithynia,  he  became, 
according  to  tradition,  while   still  a  young 


THE    SAINTS   IN   ART       157 

man,  the  favourite  physician  of  the  Emperor 
Galerius  Maximian.  In  childhood  he  had 
been  taught  Christianity  by  his  mother, 
and  Hermolaus,  an  old  priest,  continued 
to  instruct  him.  He  made  no  attempt  to 
escape  persecution,  but  went  about,  healing 
the  sick,  and  working  wonders,  till  he  was 
accused,  bound  to  an  olive-tree,  and  be- 
headed. 

He  is  represented  in  Venetian  art  in  the 
long  robe  of  a  physician,  sometimes  with  an 
olive  instead  of  a  palm  branch  in  his  hand, 
or  bound  to  an  olive-tree. 


PAUL,  St.  (Biblical).  (25/A  January,  29th- 
$olh  June) 
Usually  illustrations  are  of  events  in  his 
life  recorded  in  the  Bible.  There  is  an  old 
tradition  that  at  the  time  of  his  conversion 
(a  very  favourite  subject)  he  was  on  horse- 
back. While  in  Rome  various  miracles  are 
attributed  to  him,  and  his  meeting  with  St. 
Peter  there  is  often  represented  (see  St. 
Peter).     According    to    tradition,  the  two 


158       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

apostles  suffered  martyrdom  at  the  same 
time,  but,  St.  Paul,  being  a  Roman  citizen, 
was  not  crucified,  but  was  beheaded  outside 
the  Ostian  Gate.  A  legend  says  that  on  his 
way  thither  he  passed  Plautilla,  a  convert, 
who  wept,  and  asked  his  blessing.  He 
bade  her  farewell,  and  asked  for  her  veil,  to 
bind  his  eyes  during  his  execution,  saying 
that  he  would  return  it  after  his  death. 
The  attendants  mocked,  but  he  appeared 
to  her  after  his  martyrdom  and  returned 
the  bloodstained  veil.  It  is  also  related 
that  his  head,  after  it  was  cut  off,  touched 
the  ground  three  times,  and  in  each  spot 
a  well  of  water  sprang  up ;  hence,  the 
place  is  called  "  Tre  Fontane "  to  this 
day. 

He  is  represented  as  short,  with  a  brown 
beard,  high  forehead,  and  aquiline  nose,  hold- 
ing a  book  and  a  sword.  Often  with  St. 
Peter. 


Paul,  St.  (the  Hermit).    (See  St.  Anthony, 
the  Hermit.) 


THE   SAINTS   IN    ART       159 

Peter,  St.  (Biblical).  (Ital.  San  Pietro  or 
Piero  ;  Fr.  St.  Pierre  ;  Span.  San 
Pedro.)  ( 1  %th  January  and  29th  June) 
Beyond  what  is  told  of  St.  Peter  in  the 
Bible  innumerable  legends  exist.  Some  of 
the  most  important  are  connected  with 
Simon  Magus.  When  the  miracles  of  St. 
Peter  had  brought  to  naught  the  sorceries 
of  Simon,  the  magician  fled  to  Rome,  where 
he  became  a  favourite  of  the  Emperor.  St. 
Peter  followed  him,  and  was  joined  there 
by  St.  Paul.  When  Simon  falsely  accused 
the  Apostles  before  Nero  they  challenged 
him  to  raise  a  dead  boy  to  life,  and  on 
his  failure  St.  Peter  performed  the  miracle. 
Finally,  when  Simon,  having  undertaken  to 
fly  up  to  heaven,  remained  hanging  in  the 
air,  supported  by  demons,  at  the  command 
of  St.  Peter  they  let  go,  and  he  fell  dead. 
During  the  persecutions  which  followed  the 
burning  of  Rome  the  Christians  besought  St. 
Peter  to  leave  the  city,  and  he  at  length 
consented.  As  he  went  along  the  Appian 
Way  he  met  Christ,  walking  towards  Rome, 
and   said  :   "  Domine,  quo   vadis  ?  "     (Lord, 


i6o       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

whither  goest  thou  ?)  The  reply  was :  "  I 
go  to  Rome,  to  be  crucified  afresh."  St.  Peter 
took  this  as  a  sign  that  he  was  to  return  and 
suffer  all  things,  and  at  once  obeyed.  To- 
gether with  St.  Paul,  he  was  imprisoned  in 
the  Mamertine  dungeon,  where  their  cus- 
todians, SS.  Processus  and  Martinian,  and 
many  of  the  criminals,  were  converted  and 
baptised.  Soon  after  they  were  condemned 
to  death,  and  St.  Peter  was  crucified,  with 
his  head  downwards,  either  in  the  Circus  of 
Caligula  or  in  the  courtyard  of  the  barracks 
of  the  Janiculum.  According  to  legend,  St. 
Peter's  daughter,  Petronilla,  accompanied 
him  to  Rome,  and  there  fell  ill.  The 
disciples  wondered  that  the  Apostle,  who 
healed  many,  did  not  heal  his  own  daughter, 
but  he  said  :  "  It  is  good  for  her  to  be  so"  ; 
and  to  show  the  power  of  GOD  he*  raised  her 
up.  She  served  them  at  table,  but  lay  down 
again,  and  so  remained  for  many  years. 
At  length,  "perfect  through  suffering,"  she 
recovered,  and  Valerius  Flaccus,  a  rich 
young  Roman,  wished  to  marry  her.  He 
was   so  powerful  that   she  feared  to  refuse 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        161 

him,  and  told  him  to  go  away,  and  return 
in  three  days,  during  which  time,  in  answer 
to  her  ardent  prayers,  she  died,  and  was 
carried  to  the  grave,  crowned  with  roses. 
According  to  a  widely  accepted  tradition, 
St.  Peter  is  regarded  by  many  as  the  first 
Bishop  of  Rome. 

St.  Peter  is  generally  represented  as  an 
old  man,  with  a  short  grey  beard ;  often 
with  the  keys,  or  a  book,  cross,  or  fish ; 
sometimes  as  Pope,  with  the  tiara  or  triple 
crown  ;  sometimes  as  the  Doorkeeper  of 
Heaven. 

Frescoes  by  Massaccio  and  others  in  the 
Carmine,  Florence ;  by  Raphael  in  the 
Stanze,  Vatican ;  by  Michaelangelo  in  the 
Capella  Paolina ;  by  Perugino  in  Capella 
Sistina,  Rome. 

Peter,  St.  (of  Alcantara),    {xgth  October) 

A  Franciscan  friar,  born  at  Alcantara  in 
Estramadura,  in  Portugal,  in  1499  ;  he  died 
in  1562.  Legend  says  that  through  faith 
he  walked  on  the  sea,  and  in  pictures  he  is 
sometimes  represented  as  so  doing. 


1 62        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Peter  Exorcista  and  Marcellinus,  SS. 
{2nd  June) 
Two  Roman  martyrs,  who  suffered  in 
the  last  persecution  under  Diocletian.  They 
were  thrown  into  prison,  where  they  con- 
verted their  jailer,  his  family,  and  many 
prisoners.  They  were  beheaded  at  the  same 
time,  in  a  forest  three  miles  from  Rome,  and 
are  always  represented  together. 

Peter  Martyr,  St.  (Ital.  San  Pietro 
(Piero)  Martire  ;  Fr.  St.  Pierre  le 
Dominican).  (29M  April) 
Born  at  Verona  about  1205.  When  a  boy 
of  fifteen  he  became  an  apt  disciple  of  St. 
Dominic,  who  was  preaching  at  Verona, 
and  assumed  the  habit  of  his  Order.  He 
became  a  celebrated  preacher,  and,  being 
especially  zealous  against  the  heretical  sect 
of  the  Cathari,  he  was  appointed  Inquisitor- 
General  by  Pope  Honorius  III.  Some  of 
his  enemies  became  exasperated  at  his  in- 
tolerant persecutions,  and  hired  assassins 
to  murder  him  in  a  wood  on  his  way  from 
Como  to  Milan.     One  of  the  assassins  struck 


n. 
£ 


THE   SAINTS   IN    ART        163 

him  on  the  head  with  an  axe,  and  then 
pursued  the  lay  brother  who  was  with  him. 
When  they  returned,  St.  Peter  had  risen  to 
his  knees,  and  was  reciting  the  Apostles' 
Creed,  or,  according  to  one  account,  had 
written  "  Credo "  with  his  blood  on  the 
ground.  They  then  pierced  him  with  the 
sword. 

He  is  represented  in  the  Dominican  habit, 
with  an  axe  or  a  large  knife  struck  into  his 
head,  or  with  a  bleeding  gash  in  his  head, 
and  carries  a  palm. 

His  portrait  in  fresco  by  Fra  Angelico, 
in  San  Marco,  Florence.  Picture,  attri- 
buted to  Bellini,  in  National  Gallery.  His 
shrine,  by  Balduccio,  is  in  Sant'  Eustorgio, 
Milan. 


Peter  Nolasco,  St.    (31^  fanuary) 

The  son  of  a  nobleman  of  Languedoc,  and 
one  of  the  converts  of  St.  John  de  Matha, 
(g.v.)}  in  imitation  of  whom  he  founded 
the  "  Order  of  Our  Lady  of  Mercy,"  for 
the   deliverance   of   captives   and    prisoners 


1 64       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

for  debt.  The  rest  of  his  long  life,  till  his 
death  in  1258,  was  spent  in  expeditions  to 
Africa  and  the  part  of  Spain  then  under 
the  dominion  of  the  Moors,  whence  he  re- 
turned with  hundreds  of  redeemed  slaves. 
His  Order,  at  first  military,  consisting  of 
knights  and  gentlemen,  afterwards  became 
strictly  religious,  and  obtained  the  canonisa- 
tion of  their  founder  in  1628. 

He  is  represented  as  an  aged  man,  in  a 
white  habit ;  bearing  on  his  breast  the  arms 
of  King  James  of  Aragon,  the  badge  of  his 
Order. 

Petronilla,  St.    (See  St.  Peter.)    (31J/ 

May) 

PETRONIUS,  St.  (Bishop  and  Patron  Saint 

of  Bologna).     (4/^  October) 

He  was    by  birth    a    Roman,   who    early 

in   life   became  a  Christian.      He  banished 

the    Arians    from     Bologna,    and    died    in 

430- 

Represented    as   a    bishop,   often   with   a 

model  of  Bologna  in  his  hand. 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        165 

Philip,  St.  (Ital.  Filippo).  (Biblical.) 
(1st  May) 

According  to  tradition  he  preached  the 
Gospel  in  Scythia  and  Phrygia.  There  he 
exorcised,  in  the  name  of  the  Cross,  a  dragon 
or  serpent  worshipped  by  the  people.  The 
priests  bound  and  crucified  him — according 
to  Greek  legend,  head  downwards. 

He  is  represented  with  a  cross,  or  a  staff 
with  a  small  cross  on  it. 

Philip  Benozzi,  St.    (23rd  August) 

The  chief  saint  of  the  Order  of  "  Padri 
Serviti,"  a  community  founded  by  seven 
noble  Florentines  in  the  thirteenth  century. 
He  was  a  physician,  but  retired  to  the 
convent  at  Monte  Senario,  near  Florence, 
and  died  General  of  the  Order,  in  1285. 

Frescoes  illustrating  his  life  by  Andrea  del 
Sarto  are  in  the  court  of  S.  Annunziata, 
Florence. 

Philip  Neri,  St.    {26th  May) 

Born  in  1515.  He  was  an  intimate  friend 
of  St.  Charles  Borromeo,  and  the  Founder 


1 66        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

of  the  Oratorians,  a  community  devoted  to 
works  of  charity. 

Phocas,  St.  (Ital.  San  Foca).  ($rd  July) 
He  dwelt  outside  the  gate  of  Sinope,  in 
Pontus,  at  the  end  of  the  third  century. 
There,  with  prayer  and  contemplation,  he 
cultivated  a  garden,  and  gave  the  produce  to 
the  poor.  One  night,  as  he  sat  at  supper, 
some  strangers  came  in,  and,  as  he  kept  open 
house,  he  made  them  welcome,  and  then 
asked  them  why  they  had  come.  They  said 
to  find  a  certain  Phocas,  whom  they  were 
commissioned  to  kill.  He  said  nothing,  but 
gave  them  a  night's  lodging  ;  and,  while  they 
were  asleep,  went  out,  and  dug  a  grave  in 
his  garden  among  the  flowers.  In  the  morn- 
ing he  told  his  guests  that  Phocas  was  found, 
and  insisted  on  their  beheading  him  at  the 
grave,  and  they  buried  him  there. 

In  Byzantine  art  he  is  represented  as  an 
aged  man,  a  gardener,  with  a  spade. 

Placidus,  St.    (See  St.  Benedict.)    (5/// 
October)  _ 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        167 

Praxedes  and  Pudentiana,  SS.  (21st 
July  and  igth  May) 
Two  daughters  of  the  Roman  patrician, 
Pudens,  with  whom  St.  Peter  lodged.  The 
whole  family  became  Christians,  and  after 
a  time  the  sisters  inherited  their  entire 
fortune.  During  the  first  great  persecution 
under  Nero  they  comforted  and  encouraged 
the  martyrs,  ministering  to  them  in  prison, 
and  giving  them  burial  after  death.  They 
themselves  escaped  the  dangers  by  which 
they  were  surrounded,  and  at  length  died, 
after  distributing  their  remaining  possessions 
to  the  poor.  Their  churches  are  among  the 
most  interesting  and  well  known  in  Rome. 

Prisc A,  St.     (iZth  January) 

According  to  legend  was  a  noble  Roman 
virgin,  who,  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  was 
exposed  in  the  Amphitheatre.  A  fierce  lion, 
when  let  loose  upon  her,  to  the  amazement 
of  all,  licked  her  feet,  and  she  was  taken 
back  to  prison  and  beheaded.  It  is  said 
that  an  eagle  watched  over  her  body  till 
it  was  buried,  hence   she  is   sometimes  re- 


1 68        THE    SAINTS    IN    ART 

presented    with    an    eagle,    as     well     as     a 
lion. 


PROCESSUS,  St.  (the  Centurion  at  the  Ma- 
mertine  Prison).  (See  St.  Peter.) 
{2nd  July) 

Procopius,  St. 

A  King  of  Bohemia,  who  gave  up  his 
crown,  and  became  a  hermit,  living  unknown 
for  years ;  at  length  he  was  discovered  by 
a  prince,  who  was  hunting  a  stag,  which 
took  refuge  in  his  arms. 

PROCULUS,  St.  (the  Military  Patron  of 
Bologna) 

He  was  a  soldier,  who  killed  with  an  axe 
the  emissary  sent  to  Bologna  by  the  Emperor 
Maximin,  to  inflict  persecution  on  the  Chris- 
tians, and  afterwards  suffered  martyrdom. 

In  pictures  by  artists  of  Bologna  he  is 
represented  as  a  soldier,  with  an  axe,  or 
carrying  a  head. 

Pudentiana,  St.    (See  St.  Praxedes.) 


ST.    RAPHAEL   AND   TOBIAS 
From  a  painting  (  Tuscan  School)  in  the  National  Gallery 


THE    SAINTS   IN    ART        169 

Ranieri,  St.  (Fr.  St.  Regnier).  (The 
Patron  Saint  of  Pisa.)     {17th  June) 

Born  about  1100.  On  his  conversion 
from  the  vanities  of  the  world  he  went 
to  Palestine,  and  lived  for  twenty  years  as 
a  hermit.  He  is  said  to  have  performed 
many  miracles,  mostly  by  means  of  water. 
Hence  he  is  called  San  Ranieri  dell'  Acqua. 
He  at  length  returned  to  Pisa,  and  died 
there,  in  the  odour  of  sanctity. 

Frescoes  illustrating  his  life  by  Spinello 
Aretino  are  in  the  Campo  Santo  at  Pisa. 

Raphael,  St.  (the  Archangel).  (24//Z  October) 
Is,  by  tradition,  the  Guardian  Angel  of 
humanity,  the  prince  of  all  guardian  angels, 
and  he  watches  specially  over  pilgrims  and 
wayfarers.  He  is  the  angel  in  the  story  of 
Tobit  (Apocrypha).  Tobit,  a  Jewish  exile, 
had  fallen  into  poverty,  and  become  blind, 
and  he  prayed  for  death.  To  him  was  sent 
the  angel  Raphael ;  and  he  led  the  young 
son,  Tobias,  into  Media,  to  marry  Sara, 
his  rich  kinswoman.     But  she  was  haunted 


170        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

by  an  evil  spirit,  who  had  slain  her  seven 
husbands,  each  on  his  wedding  day.  Raphael 
bade  Tobias  take  a  certain  fish,  whose  gall 
would  afterwards  heal  his  father's  blindness, 
and  whose  heart  and  liver  would  drive  away 
the  evil  spirit  from  his  bride. 

Raphael  is  represented  winged,  with  a 
staff  as  a  pilgrim,  or  a  sword  as  a  guardian. 
In  illustrations  of  Tobit,  Tobias  (who  is 
generally  only  a  boy)  is  carrying  the  fish, 
and  Raphael,  a  small  box  for  the  gall. 

Notable  picture  by  Perugino,  in  National 
Gallery,  and  two,  formerly  attributed  to 
Botticelli,  in  Accademia,  Florence,  and 
Turin  Gallery. 

Raymond,  St.  (de  Penaforte).  (23rd? 
January} 
Was  born  of  a  noble  Spanish  family  in 
1 175.  He  joined  the  Dominican  Order  soon 
after  the  death  of  its  founder,  and  became 
in  due  time  the  third  General.  His  recorded 
miracles  fill  fifteen  folio  pages.  On  one 
occasion,  when  in  Majorca,  he  reproved  the 
King   of  Aragon,  whose  confessor  he  was, 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        171 

for  a  fault,  and  threatened  to  leave  for  Spain, 
but  was  forbidden.  So  he  spread  his  cloak 
on  the  waves,  and  tying  one  corner  of  it 
to  his  staff,  set  upright  for  a  mast,  he  made 
the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  was  wafted  safe 
to  Barcelona. 

He  is  represented  in  his  Dominican  habit, 
gliding  over  the  sea  on  his  mantle. 

Raymond  Nonnatus,  St.  (Span.  San 
Ramon).  (3 1st  August) 
Closely  associated  with  St.  Peter  Nolasco 
(g.v.)t  the  Founder  of  the  Order  of  Mercy, 
with  whom  he  made  several  voyages  to 
Africa,  to  redeem  captives  from  the  Moors. 
He  was  made  Cardinal  by  Pope  Gregory  IX. 
in  1 240,  and  died  the  same  year. 

Regulus  and  Frediano,  SS.  (Patrons  of 
Lucca).  (iSth  March) 
One  was  an  African  bishop,  who  took 
refuge  in  Tuscany,  and  was  martyred  at 
the  invasion  of  Totila  ;  the  other  was  Bishop 
of  Lucca  in  the  sixth  century. 


172        THE  SAINTS   IN   ART 
REPARATA,  St.     (8tk  October) 

Was  for  many  years  the  Patroness  of 
Florence,  and  the  cathedral  there  was 
formerly  dedicated  to  her.  Legend  says  that 
she  was  a  virgin  of  Caesarea,  who,  at  the 
age  of  twelve,  bravely  suffered  torture  and 
martyrdom  under  Decius.  It  is  difficult  to 
distinguish  her  from  other  youthful  virgin 
martyrs ;  she  is  not  uncommon  in  old 
Florentine  pictures. 

Roch,  St.  (Ital.  San  Rocco).     (Protector 
against   sickness   and  plague.)     (16th 
August) 
Born  of  noble   parents   at  Montpelier,  in 
Languedoc,  at  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury.    According  to  legend,  he  determined 
from  his  youth  to  imitate  the  life  of  CHRIST, 
and  before  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  on 
the  death  of  his  parents,  he  disposed  of  his 
riches  to  the  poor,  and  started  as  a  pilgrim 
on  foot  to  Rome.     On  his  way  he  came  to  a 
place  where  plague  was  raging,  and  hence- 
forth devoted  himself  to  the  nursing  of  the 
sick,  going  from  city  to  city.     At  length,  at 


THE   SAINTS   IN    ART        173 

Piacenza,  he  found  himself  stricken  with  the 
disease,  and  dragged  himself  outside  the  city 
into  a  wood  to  die.  There  his  faithful  little 
dog  watched  over  him,  bringing  him  daily  a 
loaf  of  bread  in  his  mouth.  An  angel  also 
came  and  dressed  his  wound,  and  ministered 
to  him.  On  his  recovery  he  turned  home- 
wards, but  when  he  arrived  at  Montpelier 
he  was  so  completely  changed  by  his  suffer- 
ings that  no  one  knew  him.  He  was  arrested 
as  a  spy,  and  thrown  into  prison,  where  he 
remained  five  years.  One  day  his  jailer 
found  him  dead  in  his  cell,  a  bright  light 
shining  around,  and  on  the  wall  a  writing 
which  told  his  name,  and  declared  that  those 
who  prayed  through  his  intercession  would 
be  healed  of  plague.  He  was  buried  with  all 
honours,  and  continued  to  be  of  great  renown 
in  Montpelier.  At  Constance  in  1414  his 
effigy  was  carried  through  the  streets  during 
a  great  outbreak  of  the  plague,  with  such 
success  that  he  became  the  Patron  Saint  of 
the  Plague-stricken.  His  body  was  after- 
wards carried  to  Venice,  and  the  Church  of 
San  Rocco  erected  over  it. 


174        THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 

He  is  represented  as  a  pilgrim  with  his 
staff,  and  cockleshell  in  his  hat,  pointing  to 
a  plague-spot  on  his  thigh.  Generally  accom- 
panied by  his  dog)  often  with  St.  Sebastian, 
as  joint  patrons  of  the  sick. 

Scenes  from  his  life  by  Tintoretto  are  in 
the  Scuola  di  San  Rocco,  Venice. 

Romain,  St.    (23rd  October) 

Bishop  of  Rouen  at  the  time  of  Clovis  I., 
and  preached  Christianity  in  Normandy. 
He  is  said  to  have  vanquished  and  bound 
a  monstrous  dragon,  which  rose  in  the  bed 
of  the  River  Seine,  near  Rouen — a  legend 
allegorical  of  the  triumph  of  Christianity 
over  Paganism.  He  died  in  639,  and  was 
succeeded  by  St.  Ouen. 

Romualdus,  St.    (igtk  June) 

Born  about  956,  of  a  noble  family  at 
Ravenna.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  retired 
to  the  Monastery  of  St.  Apollinare  in  Classe, 
to  do  penance  for  a  murder  committed  by  his 
father,  and  there  he  entered  the  Benedictine 
Order.     After  seven  years,  disgusted  by  the 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        175 

irregularities  of  the  monks,  he  founded  his 
Reformed  Benedictine  Order  of  "  Camaldoli," 
so  called  from  Campo  Maldoli,  near  Arezzo, 
among  the  Apennines,  where  he  built  the 
parent  monastery.  According  to  the  legend 
he  saw,  like  Jacob,  a  ladder  reaching  to 
heaven,  on  which  the  monks  of  his  Order 
were  ascending  and  descending,  clad  in  white. 
He  therefore  changed  the  habit  from  black 
to  white.  He  died,  at  a  great  age,  about 
1027. 

He  is  represented  with  a  long  white 
beard,  wearing  a  white  habit  with  loose 
sleeves. 

Pictures  by  Andrea  del  Castagno  and 
Lorenzo  il  Monaco,  in  the  Uffizi,  Florence, 
and  by  Andrea  Sacchi,  in  the  Vatican. 

Romulus,  St.  (First  Bishop  of  Fiesole). 
(6th  July) 
According  to  legend,  he  wras  a  noble 
Roman,  and  a  convert  of  St.  Peter,  who  sent 
him  to  preach  at  Fiesole.  He  suffered 
martyrdom  under  Nero. 


176        THE   SAINTS   IN    ART 
ROSA,  St.  (of  Viterbo).     (4/A  September) 

A  member  of  the  Third  Order  of  St.  Francis, 
in  the  thirteenth  century.  She  was  renowned 
for  her  charity  and  eloquence. 

She  is  represented  in  the  Franciscan  tunic, 
and  wears  a  chaplet  of  roses. 

ROSALIA,  St.  (of  Palermo).  (4th  September) 
A  Sicilian  virgin,  who  retired,  at  the  age 
of  sixteen,  to  a  rocky  cavern,  not  far  from 
the  top  of  Monte  Pellegrino,  near  Palermo, 
where  she  lived  till  her  death.  Her  body 
was  afterwards  discovered,  and  it  was  said 
a  wreath  of  roses  was  found  on  her  head, 
placed  there  by  angels. 

She  is  represented  as  a  hermit,  in  a  long 
loose  habit,  and  generally  in  her  cavern. 

Rufina,  St.    (See  St.  Justa.) 

Sabina,  St.    (29/A  August) 

A  noble  Roman  matron  of  the  second 
century,  martyred  in  the  reign  of  Hadrian. 
The  church  built  on  the  Aventine,  on  the 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        177 

site    of    her    house,    existed    as    early    as 
423  A.D. 

Scholastica,   St.     (See    St.    Benedict.) 
(\oth  February) 

Sebald,  St. 

An  early  German  saint,  revered  at  Nurem- 
burg. He  is  supposed  to  have  been  of  Anglo- 
Danish  birth,  and  to  have  left  England  with 
St.  Boniface.  He  travelled  through  North 
Germany  to  Nuremburg,  where  he  lived, 
preaching  and  baptising,  till  he  died  in  about 
770. 

He  is  represented  as  a  pilgrim,  with  a 
shell  in  his  hat,  a  rosary \  and  a  staffs  some- 
times holding  a  church  (Nuremburg)  in  his 
hand. 

Sebastian,  St.  (Protector  against  Plague  or 
Pestilence).     {20th  January) 
A  native  of  Narbonne,  of  noble  parentage, 
a  faithful  officer  of  the  Emperor,  in  the  Prae- 
torian Guard.     He  was  secretly  a  Christian, 

M  /^Z? 


178       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

and  converted  many  to  the  Faith.  Two  of 
his  fellow-soldiers,  Marcus  and  Marcellinus, 
suffered  martyrdom,  encouraged  by  Sebastian, 
who  shortly  afterwards  was  condemned  to  be 
bound  to  a  stake  and  shot  at  with  arrows. 
Pierced  by  many  wounds,  he  was  left  for 
dead,  but  Irene,  the  widow  of  one  of  his 
friends,  came  with  her  attendants,  and  found 
that  he  still  breathed.  She  tended  him  night 
and  day  till  he  recovered,  and  then  counselled 
him  to  fly  from  Rome,  but  he  refused,  and 
went  forth  boldly  to  meet  the  Emperor  at  the 
gate  of  his  palace,  and  to  reproach  him  for 
his  cruelty.  Diocletian  then  ordered  him  to 
be  beaten  to  death  with  clubs  in  the  Circus. 
Arrows,  the  emblems  of  pestilence,  being 
considered  his  instrument  of  martyrdom, 
he  has  been  invoked  against  plague  through 
all  ages. 

He  is  represented  as  a  beautiful,  often 
almost  undraped,  figure,  bound,  and  pierced 
with  arrows. 

Notable  picture  by  Sodoma,  in  Uffizi, 
Florence. 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        179 

SECUNDUS,  St.     (29/A  March) 

One  of  the  martyrs  of  the  Theban 
Legion,  specially  venerated  at  Asti.  (See 
St.  Maurice.) 

Sibyls 

According  to  the  writers  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  they  were  ten  in  number,  named  after 
their  respective  places  of  birth  or  residence — 
viz.  the  Persian,  Libyan,  Delphic,  Cumaean, 
Cythereean,  Samian,  Cuman,  Hellespontine, 
Phrygian,  and  Tiburtine.  The  last  was  sup- 
posed to  have  shown  the  Virgin  and  Child 
in  heaven  to  the  Emperor  Augustus  in  a 
vision  (see  St.  Mary  Virgin).  All  of  them 
are  supposed  to  have  prophesied  of  CHRIST, 
more  especially  the  Cumaean,  and  are 
introduced  into  Christian  art,  constantly 
associated  with  the  prophets,  apostles,  and 
evangelists. 

They  are  represented  by  graffiti  on  the 
pavement  of  the  Duomo,  Siena  ;  in  frescoes  in 
the  Cappella  Sistina,  Rome,  by  Michael- 
angelo,  and  in  S.  Maria  della  Pace,  Rome,  by 
Raphael. 


180        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Simon  Stylites,  St.  ($th  January  and 
2djh  May) 
A  famous  anchorite,  who  passed  thirty 
years  of  his  life  on  the  top  of  a  pillar  ;  a  type 
of  extreme  Oriental  asceticism,  which  he  in- 
troduced among  Christian  hermits. 

Simon  Zelotes  and  Jude,  SS.  (Thad- 
DEUS  or  Lebbeus).  (Biblical.)  (2$th 
October) 
They  are  generally  mentioned  and  repre- 
sented together.  Legend  says  that  they  were 
both  martyred  in  Persia,  St.  Simon  being 
sawn  asunder,  and  St.  Jude  killed  with  a  hal- 
berd. According  to  one  tradition  they  were 
Christ's  kinsmen  and  companions  in  child- 
hood, and  are  sometimes  thus  represented  ; 
but  according  to  another  they  were  two  of  the 
shepherds  to  whom  Christ's  birth  was  an- 
nounced, and  are  therefore  regarded  as  old 
men  at  the  time  of  His  ministry.  Their  attri- 
butes are  a  saw  and  a  halberd  respectively. 

Sixtus,  St.     (See  St.  Lawrence.)     (6th 
August) 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        181 

Sophia,  St.  (or  Heavenly  Wisdom),  (.lit 
August  and  ^oth  September) 
According  to  the  Greek  story,  which  is 
purely  allegorical,  she  and  her  celestial 
progeny,  St.  Faith,  St.  Hope,  and  St.  Charity, 
were  all  martyred  by  the  pagans. 

Stephen,  St.  (Biblical).  (Deacon  and  Proto- 
martyr.)     {26th  December) 

He  is  represented  as  a  young  man  in  the 
dress  of  a  deacon,  with  a  palm.  His  attribute 
is  a  stone. 

Frescoes  illustrating  his  life  by  Fra  Angelico 
are  in  the  Chapel  of  Nicholas  V.  in  the 
Vatican,  Rome. 

Sylvester,  St.  (Pope).    (311I  December) 

Bishop  of  Rome  in  the  time  of  Constantine. 
During  the  persecutions  he  was  concealed 
for  some  time  in  a  cavern.  The  story  runs 
that  when  Constantine  was  attacked  by 
leprosy  he  inquired  of  his  false  gods  for 
a  cure,  and  was  told  to  bathe  in  the  blood 
of  three  thousand  infants ;  but  when  he  saw 
the   children  torn   from  their  mothers,  and 


1&2        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

ready  to  be  slain,  he  felt  that  he  would  rather 
die  himself,  and  stayed  the  deed.  St.  Peter 
and  St.  Paul  appeared  to  him  that  night,  and 
told  him  to  send  to  the  mountains  for  St. 
Sylvester,  who  would  tell  him  where  to  wash 
and  be  healed.  Constantine  did  so,  and, 
recognising  the  portraits  of  the  apostles, 
which  Sylvester  showed  him,  was  baptised 
at  once,  and,  a  few  days  afterwards,  dug  with 
his  own  hands  the  foundation  of  the  new 
Basilica,  now  the  Lateran.  When  his  mother, 
Helena,  heard  of  his  conversion  she  told  him 
he  should  rather  have  followed  the  God  of 
the  Jews.  He  then  told  her  to  bring  the 
most  learned  Jewish  rabbis  to  try  and  refute 
St.  Sylvester.  She  came,  accordingly,  with  a 
hundred  and  forty  doctors,  and  St.  Sylvester 
overcame  them  all.  But  one  of  them,  who 
was  a  magician,  demanded  a  test,  and  said 
he  could  cause  a  wild  bull,  which  could  only 
be  restrained  by  a  hundred  men,  to  fall  down 
dead  when  he  whispered  the  name  of  the 
Omnipotent  in  his  ear.  This  he  did,  but 
St.  Sylvester  said  that  the  Name  of  Christ 
the  Redeemer  would  do  more :  it  would  re- 


THE   SAINTS   IN    ART        183 

store  the  bull  to  life,  which  the  magician 
could  not  do.  Convinced  by  the  perform- 
ance of  this  miracle,  everyone  present  be- 
lieved. An  allegorical  story  is  also  told  that 
St.  Sylvester  overcame  a  most  destructive 
dragon,  and  bound  its  mouth  three  times 
with  a  thread,  sealed  with  the  sign  of  the 
cross.  He  also  sheltered  in  his  house 
Timotheus,  a  Christian  martyr,  and  when 
Tarquinian  the  Governor  demanded  of  him 
the  riches  of  Timotheus,  the  tyrant,  accord- 
ing to  the  prophecy  of  St.  Sylvester,  died 
that  night,  a  fish  -  bone  sticking  in  his 
throat. 

He  is  represented  as  Pope,  a  bull  crouch- 
ing at  his  feet.  Sometimes  he  has  as  his 
attribute  a  small  dragon,  or  portraits  of  SS. 
Peter  and  Paul. 

Thecla,  St.  (Apocryphal  N.  T.).  (23^  Sep- 
tember) 
A  virgin  and  martyr,  popular  in  very  early 
times,  and  honoured  in  the  Greek  Church  as 
the  first  female  martyr.  Legend  relates  that 
when  St.  Paul  came  to  Iconium  he  preached 


1 84       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

in  the  house  of  Onesiphorus,  and  there  a 
certain  virgin,  named  Thecla,  heard  him 
from  her  window,  and  learnt  the  true  Faith. 
Her  lover,  enraged,  complained  to  the  gov- 
ernor, who  had  St.  Paul  bound  and  thrown 
into  prison.  But  Thecla  bribed  the  jailers 
to  admit  her  to  the  prison,  where  she  con- 
tinued to  receive  the  apostle's  teaching,  till 
the  governor  ordered  St.  Paul  to  be  scourged 
and  driven  out  of  the  city,  and  Thecla  to  be 
burnt  to  death.  But  as  the  flames  would  not 
do  her  any  hurt,  she  escaped,  and  went  with 
St.  Paul  to  Antioch.  There  she  was  thrown 
to  the  wild  beasts,  but  they  would  not  touch 
her,  and  she  was  released.  She  then  con- 
tinued her  teaching,  and  wrought  many 
miracles,  so  that  the  physicians  lost  all  their 
patients.  They  accordingly  hired  men  to 
attack  her  in  the  cavern  among  the  moun- 
tains, where  she  dwelt,  but  just  as  her  pur- 
suers were  about  to  take  her,  a  rock  suddenly 
opened.  She  entered,  it  closed  upon  her, 
and  she  was  no  more  seen. 

She   is   represented  young,  with  a  palm, 
often  with  the  wild  beasts. 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        185 

Theodore,  St.    (gtk  November) 

One  of  the  Greek  warrior  saints.  He  was 
an  officer  in  the  army  of  the  Emperor  Li- 
cinius,  became  a  Christian,  and  in  his  zeal 
set  fire  to  the  Temple  of  Cybele,  and  was 
beheaded,  A.D.  300.  He  was  the  Patron  of 
Venice  till  St.  Mark  became  her  tutelary 
Saint  in  the  ninth  century. 

He  is  represented  in  armour,  trampling  on 
the  dragon. 

Theresa,  St.    (15/A  October) 

Born  at  Avila,  in  Castile,  in  1515.  She 
was  one  of  a  large  family,  and,  in  her  own 
story  of  her  life,  she  tells  how,  at  the  age  of 
eight  or  nine,  she  and  a  small  brother,  deeply 
impressed  by  reading  the  lives  of  the  saints, 
set  off  on  a  begging  expedition  into  the 
country  of  the  Moors,  in  the  hope  of  being 
captured  by  the  Infidels,  and  martyred. 
After  a  chequered  girlhood,  she  entered 
the  Carmelite  Convent  at  Avila  at  the  age 
of  twenty.  She  was  a  woman  of  extra- 
ordinary character,  and  great  mental  power, 
but   with    a   fervid    and    somewhat    morbid 


1 86        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

temperament.  In  middle  age  she  set  herself 
to  reform  the  Carmelites,  and  before  she  died, 
in  1582,  had  founded  seventeen  new  convents 
for  women,  and  fifteen  for  men,  all  under  her 
strict  rule,  and  free  from  abuses. 

She  is  represented  in  the  Carmelite  Habit, 
a  white  cloak  over  a  brown  tunic,  with  a 
scapulary. 

Thomas,  St.  (Biblical).  (Span.  San  Tome.) 
(21st  December) 
According  to  tradition  he  preached  the 
Gospel  in  the  East,  and  founded  a  Christian 
Church  in  India,  where  he  died  a  martyr, 
pierced  with  a  lance.  A  popular  legend  tells 
that  he  was  sent  by  CHRIST  to  King  Gon- 
doforus  of  the  Indies,  to  build  a  palace  for 
him.  The  King  gave  him  much  gold  for  the 
purpose,  but  St.  Thomas  spent  it  on  the  poor 
and  sick.  The  King  threatened  the  saint 
with  death,  but  his  brother,  who  had  lately 
died,  came  to  life  again,  and  warned  him  that 
St.  Thomas  was  a  servant  of  God,  and  that  he 
had  seen  in  Paradise  a  beautiful  heavenly 
palace   prepared   for   the   King   there.     His 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        187 

attribute,  the  builder's  rule  or  square,  is  in 
allusion  to  this  story.  There  is  another 
legend  that  St.  Thomas,  who  had  not  wit- 
nessed the  Virgin's  Ascension  to  Heaven, 
doubted  the  fact,  and  looking  into  her  tomb 
found  it  empty.  The  Virgin,  pitying  his 
weakness,  let  down  her  girdle  from  Heaven 
that  he  might  see  it  and  believe.  After  many 
adventures  the  girdle  ultimately  came  to 
Prato,  in  Italy,  where  it  is  preserved  as  a 
sacred  relic. 

When  represented  with  the  other  apostles 
he  is  distinguished  by  his  builder's  rule ;  and 
is  easily  recognised  in  pictures  of  the  "  In- 
credulity," and  of  the  legend  of  the  girdle. 

Thomas  Aquinas,  St.    (jth  March) 

Born  probably  at  Rocca  Secca,  near  Aquino, 
in  Campania,  in  1227.  His  family,  Counts  of 
Aquino,  were  illustrious,  and  he  was  related 
to  the  Emperor  Frederick  I.  He  was  extra- 
ordinarily able  from  childhood,  and  showed 
great  promise  in  his  studies  at  a  Benedictine 
school,  and  afterwards  at  the  University  of 
Naples.    At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  assumed 


1 88        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

the  habit  of  St.  Dominic,  much  against  his 
family's  wish.  But  their  efforts  to  restrain 
him  were  unavailing,  and  in  argument  he 
converted  two  of  his  sisters.  He  rose  to  be 
the  greatest  writer  and  teacher  of  his  age, 
but  extreme  humility  distinguished  him  to 
the  last,  and  he  refused  all  preferment  in  the 
Church.  He  died  in  the  Cistercian  Abbey  at 
Fossa  Nova,  in  1274,  where  he  was  taken  ill 
on  his  way  to  Naples.  It  is  related  of  him 
that  as  he  knelt  before  the  crucifix  CHRIST 
spoke  to  him,  asking  him  what  he  desired, 
and  St.  Thomas  replied  :  "  Thyself  only,  O 
LORD."  His  companion  in  Dante's  "  Para- 
diso,"  and  sometimes  in  art,  is  his  teacher  in 
theology,  St.  Albertus  Magnus,  who  was  also 
a  Dominican.  It  should  be  remembered  that 
in  his  works  he  expressed  the  truths  of  revela- 
tion in  the  formulae  of  the  Greek  philosophy, 
thus  bringing  the  wisdom  and  the  method  of 
Aristotle  into  the  service  of  the  Church  ;  he 
attempted  to  sum  up  all  accessible  know- 
ledge, and  to  give  it  form  as  an  organic 
whole.  This  is  the  meaning  of  the  alle- 
gorical paintings  of  his  apotheosis — e.g.  the 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        189 

fresco    in    the    Spanish    Chapel    in    Santa 
Maria  Novella  at  Florence. 

He  is  represented  in  the  Dominican  habit, 
with  book  or  pen,  or  the  Host,  and  with  a  sun 
or  a  human  eye  on  his  breast. 

Thomas  de  Villanueva,  St.  (iStk  Sep- 
tember) 
Archbishop  of  Valencia,  called  "the  Al- 
moner," born  in  1448.  He  was  an  Augustine 
friar,  remarkable  for  his  extraordinary  gener- 
osity to  the  poor  and  needy ;  so  much  so, 
that  when  he  was  canonised  it  was  ordained 
that  he  should  be  represented  with  an  open 
purse,  instead  of  a  crozier,  in  his  hand. 

Tobit  and  Tobias.    (See  St.  Raphael.) 

ToRpfe,  St.  (or  Torpet) 

In  early  times  the  Patron  Saint  of  Pisa ; 
superseded  by  St.  Ranieri.  According  to  the 
legend  he  was  a  noble  Roman,  who  served  in 
the  guards  of  Nero,  was  converted  by  St. 
Paul,  and  died  in  70. 


i9o       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Tryphonius,  St. 

A  Dalmatian  saint,  probably  legendary, 
who  by  his  prayers  delivered  his  native  land 
from  a  devastating  monster. 

He  is  represented  as  a  child  overcoming 
the  basilisk,  by  Carpaccio,  in  the  Church  of 
S.  Giorgio  degli  Schiavoni  at  Venice. 

Urban,  St.    {May  25)    (See  St.  Cecilia.) 

URSULA,  St.  (Patroness  of  Girls  and  the 
Teachers  of  Girls).  {21  st  October) 
Was,  according  to  legend,  a  British  (or 
Bretonne)  Princess  of  Christian  parents, 
beautiful,  virtuous,  and  of  wondrous  learning. 
She  was  sought  in  marriage  for  Conon,  son 
of  Agrippinus,  the  pagan  King  of  England, 
by  ambassadors  to  her  father.  But  she  made 
three  conditions  to  the  marriage :  first,  that 
she  should  be  given  as  companions  ten 
noble  virgins,  and  that  she  and  her  virgins 
should  each  be  accompanied  by  a  thousand 
maidens  ;  second,  that  they  should  all 
together  visit  the  shrines  of  the  saints ;  and 
third,    that    Prince    Conon    and    his   Court 


ST.    URSULA    WITH    HER    MAIDENS 
From  the  painting  by  Carpaccio  in  the  Academy,  Venice 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        191 

should  be  baptised.  These  conditions  were 
complied  with :  the  King  of  England  col- 
lected eleven  thousand  virgins,  and  Ursula 
and  her  companions  sailed  for  Cologne. 
Miraculously  navigated  by  the  virgins,  they 
arrived,  and  Ursula  then  had  a  vision  of 
her  martyrdom.  They  proceeded  by  boats 
up  the  Rhine  to  Basle,  whence  they  crossed 
the  Alps  on  foot  to  Italy.  At  length  they 
came  to  the  Tiber,  and  hence  to  Rome.  St. 
Cyriacus,  the  Pope,  went  out  with  all  his 
clergy  to  meet  them,  blessed  them,  and  had 
tents  pitched  for  the  whole  company  outside 
the  walls,  towards  Tivoli.  Meanwhile,  Prince 
Conon  had  set  out  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome, 
and  arrived  there  on  the  same  day  as  the 
virgins.  He  and  Ursula  received  the  Pope's 
blessing  together,  and  he  was  baptised, 
taking  the  name  Ethereus.  Cyriacus  would 
have  kept  them  longer  in  Rome,  but  Ursula 
said  they  must  depart,  so,  accompanied  by 
the  Pope,  his  bishops  and  cardinals,  the 
whole  party  set  out.  Now  certain  people 
in  Rome  conspired  with  the  barbarian  King 
of  the    Huns    to    attack    the   company   of 


192        THE   SAINTS    IN   ART 

Christians  on  their  way  home.  When,  after 
a  long  and  perilous  journey,  they  arrived  at 
Cologne,  the  pagans  fell  upon  them,  and 
Ethereus,  Cyriacus,  and  all  the  virgins  were 
killed.  The  great  beauty  of  St.  Ursula  saved 
her  in  the  slaughter,  and  she  was  carried 
before  the  King,  who  wished  to  marry  her. 
But  Ursula  rejected  him  with  scorn,  and,  in 
anger,  he  seized  a  bow  and  shot  three  arrows 
into  her  breast.  So  she,  her  maidens,  and 
her  betrothed,  all  ascended  together  to 
heaven. 

She  is  represented  crowned,  with  an  arrow 
or  arrows  in  her  hand,  and  martyr's  palm 
or  standard  of  victory.  When  her  maidens 
are  with  her  she  is  very  unmistakable. 

Her  life  is  illustrated  by  a  series  of  paint- 
ings by  Memling,  in  the  Hospital  of  St  John, 
at  Bruges,and  by  Carpaccio,in  the  Accademia, 
Venice. 

Veronica,  St.    (4/A  February) 

An  old  tradition  says,  that  as  CHRIST  was 
bearing  His  cross  to  Calvary,  a  woman, 
seeing  the  drops  of  agony,  wiped  his  brow 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        193 

with  her  veil  or  handkerchief,  and  that  His 
features  remained  impressed  upon  it.  This 
veil  was  called  the  Sudarium,  and  the  like- 
ness the  Vera  Icon  (the  true  image).  Legend 
also  says  that  this  woman  was  called  Veronica, 
and  was  a  niece  of  King  Herod,  and  a  recent 
convert  to  the  Faith.  She  came  to  Rome 
with  her  sacred  relic,  which  had  miraculous 
healing  powers,  and  she  remained  there  with 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul, and  was  martyred  under 
Nero. 

She  is  represented  in  pictures  of  the  road 
to  Calvary,  and  in  others  with  her  veil  or 
handkerchief,  bearing  on  it  the  face  of 
Christ. 

VICTOR,  St.     (21st  July  and  \oth  May) 

There  are  two  soldier  saints  and  martyrs 
of  this  name — one  of  Marseilles,  and  one  of 
Milan.  Both  were  in  the  Roman  army  under 
Diocletian.  The  former  was  crushed  by  a 
millstone,  and  is  sometimes  represented  with 
one ;  the  latter  is  often  represented  as  a 
Moor;  both  are  in  armour. 


i94       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Vincent,  St.  (a  famous   Patron   Saint   in 

Spain  and  France).     {22nd  January) 

According    to    legend    he   was   a    native 

of  Aragon,  a   Christian   from    early   youth. 

When   a    deacon,  during   the    persecutions 

in    Spain   by   the   Proconsul  Dacian,  under 

Diocletian,   he,    together   with    the    Bishop 

Valerius,   defied    authority   and   proclaimed 

the  Christian  faith  publicly  in  the  tribunal. 

He  was  tortured,  torn  with  iron  forks,  and 

thrown  into  a  dungeon,  half  dead,  but  was 

miraculously  sustained   by   angels.     Dacian 

then  tried  to  conquer  him  by  seduction,  gave 

him  every  comfort,  and  a  bed  of  down,  on 

which  he  at  once  died.     His  body  was  thrown 

to  the  beasts,  but  a  raven  came  and  guarded 

it  from  attack.     It  was  then  fastened  to  a 

millstone,  and  thrown  into  the   sea,  but  it 

miraculously  came  ashore,  and   the   waves, 

at  the  command  of  God,  buried  it.     Years 

after  it  was  carried  to  Valencia,  and  in  the 

eighth  century  the  Christians,  fleeing  from 

the  Moors,  took  it  to,  what  is  now,  Cape  St. 

Vincent,  and  there  it  was  guarded  by  ravens 

and  crows.     Finally  the  bones  were  removed 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART       195 

to  Lisbon,  the  ship  on  the  occasion  being 
piloted  by  two  crows,  and  were  buried  in 
the  cathedral  there. 

He  is  represented  as  a  young  deacon, 
and  his  attribute  is  a  crow  or  raven,  but 
he  often  has  only  the  martyr's  palm,  and 
can  then  be  distinguished  from  St.  Stephen 
or  St.  Lawrence  by  the  lack  of  their 
attributes. 

Vincent,  St.  Ferraris.    ($th  April) 

Born  at  Valencia,  in  1357,  he  took  the 
Dominican  habit,  and  became  one  of  the 
greatest  preachers  and  missionaries  in  the 
Order. 

He  is  represented  in  the  habit  of  the 
Dominicans,  and  holds  the  crucifix.  Some- 
times he  is  given  symbolical  wings. 

Vincent  De  Paule,  St.    (19th  July) 

Peasant-born  at  Puy,  in  Gascony,  he  was 
educated  at  a  convent  of  Cordeliers.  He 
became  tutor  in  a  gentleman's  family,  and 
studied  for  seven  years  in  the  University  of 


196       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Toulouse,  where  he  was  ordained  priest,  in 
1600.  In  1605  he  was  captured  by  pirates  on 
his  way  back  from  Marseilles  to  Toulouse, 
and  was  carried  into  slavery  at  Tunis.  Two 
years  later  he  escaped  to  France,  together 
with  his  master  and  mistress,  both  of  whom 
were  converted  by  his  teaching.  Henceforth 
his  life  was  devoted  to  charity.  At  first 
prisoners  and  galley  slaves  were  the  objects 
of  his  benevolence,  which,  in  course  of  time, 
extended  to  almost  every  form  of  sin  and 
suffering.  He  instituted  the  "  Order  of  Sisters 
of  Charity,"  and  founded  the  Lazarite  Con- 
gregation for  men  ;  also  the  first  hospital  for 
foundlings.  He  died  in  his  eighty-fourth 
year,  in  1660. 

He  is  generally  represented  with  an  infant 
in  his  arms,  and  a  Sister  of  Charity  kneeling 
at  his  feet. 


Vitalis,  St.    (28/A  April) 

According  to  legend  one  of  the  converts  of 
St.  Peter,  and  the  father  of  SS.  Gervasius  and 
Protasius.     He  served  in  the  army  of  Nero, 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART        197 

and  suffered  for  burying  the  body  of  a  Chris- 
tian martyr,  whom  he  had  encouraged  till  his 
death.  After  being  tortured,  he  was  buried 
alive.  He  is  the  Patron  Saint  of  Ravenna, 
where  his  church  is  most  celebrated. 

Vitus,  St.  (Patron  Saint  of  Dancers  and 
Actors).     (i$tk  June) 

Was  a  native  of  Sicily  in  the  third  century. 
According  to  the  legend,  at  the  age  of  twelve 
he  declared  himself  a  Christian,  and  was  sub- 
mitted to  tortures  by  Valerian  the  Governor. 
He  was  thrown  into  dungeons,  and  there, 
angels,  bright  and  shining,  were  seen  dancing 
with  him.  He  was  compelled  to  escape  from 
Sicily  in  a  small  boat  with  his  nurse  and 
foster-father,  who  were  also  Christians.  They 
came  to  Italy,  where  they  fell  into  worse  per- 
secutions, and  suffered  martyrdom  in  a  cauld- 
ron of  boiling  oil.  He  is  invoked  against 
the  affection  called  after  him,  St  Vitus' 
dance. 

He  is  represented  as  a  beautiful  boy  or 
youth,  often  with  a  cock  or  a  cauldron  of 
boiling  oil. 


198       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

Walburga,  St.  (Walpurgis,  Valpurge,  or 
GUALBOURG).     (25/A  February) 

Was  the  niece  of  St.  Boniface,  and  passed 
twenty-seven  years  of  her  life  at  the  monastery 
of  Winburn,  in  Dorset.  She  then  went  on  a 
missionary  journey  with  ten  other  nuns,  and 
taught  at  Mayence,  and  afterwards  at  Eich- 
stadt.  She  was  made  first  abbess  of  a  Bene- 
dictine nunnery  at  Heidenheim,  between 
Munich  and  Nuremburg,  and  died  in  778. 
Her  festival  is  the  first  of  May,  Walpurgis 
Nacht.  She  was  skilled  in  medicine ;  the 
cave  near  Eichstadt  where  she  was  buried 
became  a  place  of  pilgrimage,  and  it  is  said 
that  an  oil  found  there,  and  called  Walpurgis 
oil,  worked  miraculous  cures. 

She  is  represented  as  a  Benedictine  nun, 
with  crozier  as  abbess,  and  in  her  hand  a 
vial  or  flask. 

Wise  Men.    (See  Magi.) 

Zacharias,  St.  (Biblical) 
Father  of  St.  John  Baptist. 


THE   SAINTS   IN    ART       199 

Zeno,  St.    {\2th  April) 

Bishop  of  Verona  in  the  fourth  century, 
and  greatly  revered  in  that  city,  where  his 
church  is  famous.  He  was  renowned  for  his 
charity  and  virtues,  and,  according  to  a  doubt- 
ful tradition,  was  martyred  under  Julian  the 
Apostate.  He  is  said  to  have  been  very  fond 
of  fishing  in  the  Adige.  A  large  porphyry 
vase  ("  Coppa  di  San  Zenone  "),  used  by  him 
for  baptism,  and  preserved  in  the  Church,  was 
believed  to  have  been  miraculously  brought 
from  Palestine  in  a  single  night. 

He  is  represented  as  a  bishop  with  a  fish, 
an  ancient  symbol  of  Christian  conversion. 

Zenobio,  St.     {20th  October) 

A  noble  Florentine  in  the  reign  of  Con- 
stantine,  who  was  secretly  converted  to 
Christianity.  He  went  to  Rome,  where  he 
became  deacon  and  secretary  to  Pope 
Damasus  I.  On  his  return  to  Florence,  to 
appease  dissensions  there,  he  was  unanim- 
ously elected  bishop.  Legend  relates  that, 
on  the  occasion  of  the  consecration  of  a 
church  in  the  Apennines,  messengers,  bear- 


2oo       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 

ing  precious  relics,  were  sent  to  him  by  St. 
Ambrose.  One  of  them  fell  down  a  precipice 
and  was  killed,  but  his  companion  brought 
the  body  to  St.  Zenobio,  who  restored  it  to 
life.  Also  that  a  French  lady,  on  her  way  to 
Rome,  stopped  at  Florence,  to  see  St.  Zenobio, 
and  left  her  little  son  with  him.  On  her 
return  she  found  the  child  dead,  but  she 
brought  it  to  the  saint,  who  restored  it  to 
her  alive.  He  also  brought  back  to  life  a 
child  run  over  by  oxen  drawing  a  car  in  the 
streets  of  Florence.  After  an  honourable  life 
he  died,  in  417.  On  the  way  to  burial,  pass- 
ing through  the  Piazza  del  Duomo,  his  body 
touched  the  withered  trunk  of  a  tree  long 
dead,  which  immediately  burst  out  into  fresh 
leaves. 

He  is  represented  as  a  bishop,  with  no  par- 
ticular attribute,  but  scenes  from  his  life  are 
often  depicted. 

Notable  examplesare  thereliefs  by  Ghiberti, 
in  the  Duomo  at  Florence,  and  pictures  by 
Ridolfo  Ghirlandaio,  in  the  Uffizi. 


INDEX 


Abelard,  29 

Adelaide,  St.,  89 

Adoration  of  the  Magi,  129 

Adrian,  St.,  1 

Afra,  St.,  2 

Agatha,  St.,  2 

Agnes,  St.,  4 

Alban,  St.,  5 

Albert,  St.,  5 

Albertus,  St.,  6,  188 

Albigenses,  60 

Alexander  of  Bergamo,  St., 

6,89 
Alexandria,  17,  38 
Alexis,  St.,  6,  153 
Alfonso,  St,  99 
Alo,  St.,  67 
Alsace,  156 
Ambrose,  St.,  8,  86 
Andrew,  St.,  10 
Angelus,  St.,  10 
Anne,  St.,  139 
Annunciation,  82,  142 
Ansano,  St.,  11 
Anselm,  St.,  11 
Anthony,  St.,  11 
Antioch,  49,  99,  119,  184 
Antoninus,  St.,  14 
Antony  of  Padua,  St.,  15 
Apocrypha,  169,  183 
Apollinaris,  St.,  17,  174 


Apollo,  27,  86 
Apollonia,  St.,  17 
Apollonius,  St.,  18,  73 
Apostles,  18 
Appian  Way,  159 
Aquila,  31 

Aquinas,  St.  Thomas,  187 
Ara  Coeli,  142 
Aragon,  119,  164 
Archangels,  19 
Ardennes,  97 
Arezzo,  61,  175 
Arians,  8,  20 
Ascension,  144 
Assisi,  50,  jy 
Assumption,  144 
Athanasius,  St.,  13,  19 
Attila,  82 
Augustine,  St.,  20 

of  Canterbury,  22 

Augustine  Order,   113,  152, 

154 
Augustus,     Emperor,     141, 

179 
Aventine  Hill,  176 
Avignon,  42 
Avila,  185 


Balthasar,  129 
Bamberg,  94 


202        THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 


Barbara,  St.,  22 
Bari,  152 
Barnabas,  St.,  24 
Bartholomew,  St.,  24 
Basil,  St. ,  25,  95 
Bavon,  St.,  25 
Beasts,  the  Four,  72 
Bede,  29 
Benedict,  St.,  26 
Benedictine  Order,  26,   32, 

35,  99,  156,  174,  198 
Benignus,  St.,  123 
Bennet  Biscop,  St. ,  28 
Berengaria,  73 
Bergamo,  89 
Bernard,  St.  (of  Clairvaux), 

29 
Bernardino  of  Siena,  St.,  30 
Bernardo  dei  Tolomei,  St. ,  32 
Bethlehem,  19,  105 
Biagio,  San,  32 
Blaise,  St.,  32 
Bohemia,  113,  168 
Bologna,  164,  168 
Bolsena,  46 
Bonaventura,  St.,  33 
Boniface,  St.,  35,  177 
Borromeo,  St.  Charles,  45 
Brabant,  25 
Brandeum,  91 
Brescia,  2 
Bridget,  St. ,  36 
Briggittines,  Order  of,  36 
Bruno,  St.,  37 


Camaldoli,  175 
Canterbury,  22,  63 
Capistrano,  St.  John,  108 
Capitoline  Hill,  142 


Cappadocia,  62,  84 

Capuchins,  75,  115 

Carmelites,  5,  185 

Carthusians,  37 

Caspar,  129 

Cassino,  Monte,  27,  153 

Castile,  59,  73 

Catherine  of  Alexandria,  St., 

38 

Sweden,  St.,  41 

Cecilia,  St.,  43 
Celsus,  St.,  148 
Chapelle,  Sainte,  126 
Charity,  Brothers  of,  114 
Charity,  St.,  181 
Charles  Borromeo,  St.,  45 
Chartreuse,  la  Grande,  37 
Christina,  St.,  46 
Christopher,  St.,  47 
Chrysostom,  St.  John,  49 
Cistercians,  29 
Clairvaux,  29 
Clara,  St.,  50 
Clares,  Poor,  Order  of,  51 
Clement,  St.,  52 
Cleodolinda,  85 
Clotilda,  St.,  53 
Clovis,  53 
Ccelian  Hill,  88 
Cologne,  192 
Compostella,  102 
Conon, 190 
Constantine,    Emperor,    93, 

181 
Constantius,  St.,  53 
Cosmo,  St.,  54 
Crispianus,  St.,  55 
Crispin,  St.,  55 
Cross,  Holy,  93 
Cunegunda,  St.,  94 
Cuthbert,  St.,  55 
Cyprian,  St.,  56 


INDEX 


203 


Cyprian  of  Antioch,  St.,  56 
Cyriaca,  120 
Cyriacus,  St.,  191 
Cyril,  St.,  57 
Cyrilla,  26 


D 

Dagobert,  67 
Damasus,  Pope,  105 
Damian,  St.,  54 
Decius,  Emperor,  2 
Denis,  St.,  57 
Deposition,  143 
Diego,  St.,  59 
Diocletian,  32,  69,  85,  122, 

145,  178,  193,  194 
Dionysius,  St.,  57 
Dominic,  St.,  59 
Dominican    Order,   41,    59, 

96,  125, 162,  170,  188,  195 
Domitilla,  39 

Donatus,  St.,  of  Arezzo,  61 
Dorothea,  St.,  62 
Drusiana,  109 
Dunstan,  St.,  63 
Durham,  56 


E 

Edessa,  68 
Edmund,  King,  63 
Edward,  King,  64 
Egidio,  San,  87 
Eleutherius,  St.,  58 
Elizabeth,  St.,  65 

of  Hungary,  St.,  65 

Elmo,  St.,  68 
Eloy,  St.,  67 
Ely,  69 


Ephrem,  St.,  68 
Erasmus,  St.,  68 
Ercolano,  St.,  54,  69 
Ethelbert,  22 
Etheldreda,  St.,  69 
Ethereus,  191 
Etna,  Mount,  3 
Eudosia,  50 
Eulalia,  St.,  69,  122 

of  Barcelona,  70 

Euphemia,  St.,  70 
Eustace,  St.,  71 
Eutychia,  127 
Evangelists,  72 
Ezekiel,  72 


Faith,  St.,  181 

Fathers,  Greek,   19,  25,  49, 

57,91 

Latin,  8,  20,  89,  104 

Faustinus,  St.,  73 
Felicitas,  St.,  73 
Felix,  St.,  75    * 

de  Valois,  112 

Ferdinand,  73 

Filippo,  St.,  165 

Fina,  St.,  75 

Flavia,  St.,  27 

Florence,  107,  172,  199 

Florian,  St.,  74 

Foca,  St.,  166 

Francesca  Romana,  St. ,  76 

Francis,  St.,  77 

Francis  Borgia,  St.,  80 

de  Paula,  St. ,  80 

Xavier,  St.,  81 

Franciscan    Order,    34,    77, 

126,  127,  176 
Frediano  of  Lucca,  St.,  171 


204       THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 


Gabriel,  St.,  82 
Galerius,  1,  157 
Galla  Placida,  109 
Geminianus,  St.,  82 
Genevieve,  St.,  83; 
Gennaro,  St.,  104 
George,  St. ,  84 
Gereon,  St.,  146 
Germain,  St.,  83 
Gervasius,  St.,  86 
Gesuati,  88 
Ghent,  25 
Giles,  St.,  87 
Gimignano  San,  75,  8^ 
Giobbe,  St.,  107 
Giovanni,  S.,  88,  107,  108 

Colombini,  S.,  88 

Gipesienne,  La,  Ste,  136 
Giralda,  St.,  118 
Golden  Gate,  140 
Grata,  St.,  89 
Gregory,  St.,  89 

Nazianen,  St.,  25,  91 

Grenoble,  37 
Grotta  Ferrata,  153 
Gualberto,  St.  John,  no 
Gudula,  St.,  92 


H 

Haarlem,  25 
Hadrian,  71,  176 
Helena,  St. ,  92 
Henry,  St. ,  of  Bavaria,  94 
Hermengild,  St.,  122 
Hermits,  11,  125 
Hermogenes,  10 1 
Herod,  101 
Hilarion,  St.,  95,  62 


Hilary,  St.,  95 
Hilda,  St.,  95 
Hippo,  20 
Hippolytus,  St.,  96 
Hohenburg,  156 
Honofrio,  S.  155 
Honorius,  7 
Hope,  St.,  181 
Hospitallers,  114 
Hubert,  St.,  96 
Hugo  de  Grenoble,  37 
Humilitas,  St.,  98 
Hungary,  65 
Hyacinth,  St.,  97 


Iago,  St.,  ioi 
Ignatius  Loyola,  St.,  98 

Theophorus,  St. ,  99 

I.H.S.,  99 

Ildefonso,  St.,  99 

Immaculate  Conception,  144 

Inez,  St.,  4 

Invention  of  the  Cross,  93 

Isidore,  St.,  122 

of  Madrid,  St.,  100 


J 

Jacques,  St.,  ioi 
Jago,  San,  101 
James,  St.,  101 

The  Less,  St.,  103 

Januarius,  St.,  104 
Jerome,  St.,  104 
Jerusalem,  19,  140 
Jesuits,  80,  81,  98 
Joachim,  St.,  139 
Job,  St.,  107 


INDEX 


205 


John,  St.,  the  Baptist,  107 

Capistrano,  108 

de  Matha,  112,  163 

the  Evangelist,  108,  72 

Gualberto,  no 

— —  Nepomuck,  113 

Joseph,  St.,  141 

Jovita,  St.,  73 

Juan  de  Dios,  St.,  114 

Jude,  St.,  180 

Julia,  St.,  2 

Julian  of  Cilicia,  St.,  115 

Emperor,  25,  61,  199 

Hospitator,  St.,  116 

Jussienne,  La,  St.,  136 
Justa,  St.,  117 
Justina,  St.,  of  Antioch,  118 
of  Padua,  118 


Lambert,  St.,  97,  119 
Lateran,  182 
Lawrence,  St.,  119 
Lazarite  Congregation,  196 
Lazarus,  St.,  121,  137 
Leander,  St.,  122 
Leocadia,  St.,  122 
Leonard,  St.,  123 
Licinius,  Emperor,  185 
Lindisfarne,  55 
Longinus,  St.,  124 
Lorenzo,  San,  119 

Giustiniani,  St.,  125 

Louis  Beltran,  St.,  125 

of  France,  St.,  125 

of  Toulouse,  St.,  126 

Lucca,  171 
Lucy,  St.,  127 
Luke,  St.,  72,  129 
Lupo,  St.,  89 


M 


Madonna,  139 
Madrid,  100 
Maestricht,  119 
Magdalene,  St.  Mary,  137 
Magi,  129 

Mamertine  Prison,  160 
Mantua,  124 
Marcella,  St.,  130,  137 
Marcellinus,  St.,  162 
Marco,  San,  132 
Marcus,  178 
Marcus  Aurelius,  53,  74 
Margaret,  St.,  131 
Mark,  St.,  72,  132 
Marseilles,  137 
Martha,  St.,  134,  137 
Martin,  St.,  134 
Martinian,  St.,  160 
Mary,  St.,  of  Egypt,  136 

Magdalene,  137 

the  Virgin,  139 

Matha,  St.  John  de,  112 
Matthew,  St.,  72,  145 
Matthias,  St.,  145 
Maurice,  St.,  146 
Maurus,  St.,  27 
Maximian,  Emperor,  146 
Maximin,  St.,  137,  147 
Maximin,  Emperor,  39 
Medici,  54 
Melchior,  129 
Mercy,  Order  of,  163,  17 1 
Michael,  St.,  144,  147 
Milan,  8,  86,  148 
Miniato,  St.,  148 
Minimes,  Order  of,  80 
Modena,  82 
Monica,  St.,  20 
Monte-di-Pieta,  31 
Montmartre,  58 


2o6      THE  SAINTS   IN   ART 


Montpelier,  172 
Myra,  149 


Naples,  104 
Natalia,  St.,  1 
Nathanael,  St.,  24 
Nazarius,  St.,  148 
Nepomuck,  St.  John,  113 
Nero,  196 

Nicholas,  St. ,  of  Myraor  Bari, 
149 

of  Tolentino,  152 

Nilus,  St.,  153 
Nolasco,  St.  Peter,  163 
Norbert,  St.,  154 
Nuremberg,  177 


Olivetani,  32,  yy 
Oliveto,  Monte,  32 
Omobuono,  St.,  155 
Onesiphorus,  184 
Onophrius,  St.,  155 
Oratorians,  166 
Origin,  22 
Osservanti,  31 
Oswald,  St.,  56 
Ottilia,  St.,  156 


Padua,  15 
Palermo,  176 
Pantaleon,  St.,  156 
Paolo,  San,  157 


Parma,  95 
Patmos,  no 
Paul,  St.,  157,  184 

the  Hermit,  n,  158 

Pedro,  San,  159 
Peter,  St.,  159 

of  Alcantara,  161 

Exorcista,  162 

Martyr,  162 

Nolasco,  163 

Petronilla,  St.,  160 
Petronius,  St.,  164 
Philetus,  101 
Philip,  St.,  165 

Benozzi,  165 

Neri,  165 

Phocas,  St.,  166 
Pieta,  143 
Pietro,  San,  159 
Pisa,  169,  189 
Placidus,  St.,  27 
Plautilla,  158 
Praxedes,  St.,  167 
Premonstratensians,  154 
Pre  Montre,  154 
Prisca,  St.,  167 
Processeus,  St.,  160,  168 
Procopius,  St.,  168 
Proculus,  St.,  168 
Prodocimo,  St.,  118 
Pudens,  167 
Pudentiana,  St.,  167 


R 

Ranieri,  St.,  169 
Raphael,  St.,  169 
Ravenna,  17,  197 
Raymond  de  Penaforte,  St., 

170 
Nonnatus,  St.,  171 


INDEX 


207 


Regnier,  169 
Regulus,  171 
Remi,  St.,  53 
Remini,  115 
Reparata,  St.,  172 
RiposO,  142 
Rocco,  St.,  172 
Roch.  St.,  172 
Romain,  St.,  174 
Rome,  36,  157,  160,  181 
Romualdus,  St.,  174 
Romulus,  St.,  175 
Rosa,  St.,  176 
Rosalia,  St.,  176 
Rufina,  St.,  176 
Rusticus,  St.,  58 


Sabina,  St.,  176 
Sabinella,  38 
Santiago,  73 
Savoy,  146 
Scholastica,  St.,  28 
Sebald,  St.,  177 
Sebastian,  St.,  177 
Secundus,  St.,  179 
Serviti,  Order  of,  165 
Seville,  117 
Sibyls,  179 
Siena,  30,  41 
Simon  Magus,  159 

Stylites,  St.,  180 

Zelotes,  St.,  180 

Sixtus  II.,  Pope,  119 
Sophia,  St.,  181 
Stephen,  St.,  181 
Subiaco,  27 
Sudarium,  193 
Sweden,  36 
Sylvester,  St.,  181 


Tetramorph,  72 
Thaddeus,  St.,  180 
Theban  Legion,  146,  179 
Thecla,  St.,  183 
Theodobert,  King,  123 
Theodore,  St.,  185 
Theodosius,  Emperor,  9 
Theophilus,  62 
Theresa,  St.,  185 
Thomas,  St.,  130,  186 

Aquinas,  187 

of  Villanueva,  189 

Tiburtine  Sibyl,  141,  179 
Tiburtius,  44 
Timotheus,  St.,  183 
Tobias,  169 
Tobit,  169 
Toledo,  99,  122 
Tolentino,  152 
Torpe,  St.,  189 
Trajan,  Emperor,  52,  71 
Tre  Fontane,  158 
Trinitarians,  112 
True  Cross,  the,  93 
Tryphonius,  St.,  190 

U 

Umilta,  St.,  98 
Urban,  St.,  43 
Urban,  Pope,  37 
Uriel,  19 
Ursula,  St.,  190 


Valencia,  125 
Valerian,  St.,  43 
Vallombrosa,  Order  of,  1 1 1 


208 


THE   SAINTS   IN   ART 


Valois,  Felix  of,  112 
Venice,  107,  133,  185 
Vercelli,  5 
Verona,  162,  199 
Veronica,  St.,  192 
Verulamium,  5 
Victor,  St.,  193 
Vincent,  St.,  194 

Ferraris,  195 

de  Paule,  195 

Virgin  Mary,  139     . 
Visitation,  143 
Vitalis,  St.,  196 
Vitus,  St.,  197 


Wenceslaus,  113 
Westminster,  64 
Winfred,  35 
Wise  Men,  129 


Xavier,  St.  Francis,  81 
Xeres,  73 


W 

Walburga,  St.,  198 
Walpurgis,  St.,  198 


Zacharias,  St.,  198 
Zeno,  St.,  199 
Zenobio,  St.,  199 
Zosimus,  136 


0 


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^EBAL  UBBABY-U.C.  BERKELEY 


